


Two Souls, One Future

by thievingdoom



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Action & Romance, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Canon Divergence, F/F, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Healthy Relationships, Heavy Angst, POV Alternating, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Quadrant Confusion, Quadrant Vacillation, Slow Burn, a lotta angst but there will be a happy ending, character death but no one REALLY dies in homestuck, did i mention...SLOW BURN?, rating will change with future chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 22:50:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12714432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thievingdoom/pseuds/thievingdoom
Summary: It is believed in troll culture that if someone's love is strong enough, it can transcend lifetimes. Likewise, the same can be said about hate.Terezi always knew that the curse fabricated by their ancestors would always bind her and Vriska together, by what she thought was tendrils of loathing and rivalry. However, while Scrub strains and shatters the relationships between the twelve trolls, the two are forced to re-evaluate friends and enemies, and determine the nature of the string connecting them.This story follows canon events with slight differences, but will eventually diverge from the canon timeline completely! The POV alternates between Terezi and Vriska with each chapter!UPDATE: This fic is NOT discontinued! I will still update it, I've just hit a rough patch in life rn so chapters are taking a lot longer to come out! I'm very sorry to all my readers for that :( But I'll keep writing when I can!





	1. Chapter 1

TEREZI

She was always more into her ancestry than you were. Sure, you take pride in the deeds of your ancestor, but Vriska’s admiration towards hers seem to be along the lines of worship. You didn’t judge, of course, Spinneret Mindfang was kind of cool (emphasis on the ‘kind of,’) and while watching the cobalt blooded troll pose in her oversized coat and pirate hat, you almost couldn’t tell the difference between the two. The almost being decided by how her hands barely reached passed the coats cuff, and the hat consistently slipping over her eyes. Her smirk decorated with two sharp fangs and dark blue lipstick was an exact match, however, and Vriska didn’t seem to mind adjusting her hat every 3 seconds. 

Your outfit on the other hand, fit perfectly. When you emailed your drawn design as well as your measurements to your friend, Kanaya, she was more than happy to sew it for you. And she did a really good job despite your poor artisanship. Kanaya offered to sew Vriska’s clothes too, but was turned down. Vriska insisted on wearing the one that was wrapped around Marquise Spinneret’s journal when she first discovered it. The coat was very worn, had holes in it, smelt strongly of dust and decay (and a hint of ale) and was way too big for the young troll. More things that Vriska didn’t seem to mind. Though she didn’t say it, you knew that she probably thought wearing the coat made her look bigger and tougher, but really it made her look silly. You decided not to tell her that. 

“ I know I look great and all, but do you really have to stare like that? ” 

You’re sitting cross legged, cane neatly resting across your lap when Vriska’s voice tore through your thoughts. You peer up at her through your cherry shades. The red glass tint your surroundings so it always looks like sunset, and you like that. Vriska likes to tell you that they looked dumb, which you found funny since she always said while also wearing her stupid pirate hat. Sometimes she’d even wear a hook. ‘Really Vriska?’ you’d say. ‘A hook?’ The pretend-pirate just glared daggers at you. 

She snaps her fingers several times close to your face. 

“ Really? You’re spacing out again? I know you’re stressing over how you’ll arrange your dragon dorks for your next court session when you get home, but right now we’re on a mission! So focus, TZ! “

“ Sorry, I must have gotten distracted while you were busy monologuing. “ 

“ I wasn’t monologuing, dumpass. “ She scoffed, “ I was recapitulating the procedure of the rustblood’s execution. “ 

That got your attention. “ Wait, what? “ 

Using your cane for leverage, you scramble to your feet just as Vriska starts descending the stairs leading to the subterranean room. Oops, you mean The Room of Judgement. You scurry after her, your red boots squeaking with every step. Maybe you do polish them too much. A tremor shakes the staircase, and you nearly crash into Vriska as you follow her down. Her lusus always gets rowdy when it’s hungry. You used to think that the cracks and fractures present throughout her hive was just an effect of time. Then Vriska introduced you to ‘Spidermom.’ Vriska, obviously used to the spider’s tantrums, doesn’t waver in her descent whatsoever. 

“ Vriska. “

No answer. 

“ Vriska! “ 

Okay, she’s definitely ignoring you. Not this again. 

“ Vriska, you’re talking about the one with the crooked horn, right? We agreed to let that one go! “ 

The other troll didn’t bother to stop walking while she replied. You had to strain to hear her over the tremors outside.

“ You wanted to let him go. I know you have a soft spot for lowbloods, but a crime is a crime! You should understand that more than anyone, legislacerator. “ 

“ Looking at you the ‘wrong way’ isn’t a crime, Vris. “ 

“ It is when you’re a highblood! “ 

“ Now you sound like Equius. I know you have to feed your fat lusus, but we agreed guilty trolls only! Not trolls that mildly pissed you off! “

The two of you finally reach the bottom. Vriska’s castle-esque hive with several steep spiraling staircases always annoyed the hell out of you. The troll in question sat against the far wall of the room. His wounds must have reopened from struggling; you could see his crimson blood discoloring the rope that bound him, and seep onto the floor to join the blood stains of previous prisoners. The floor looks as if it was painted tie dye, reds and yellows and even some greens smeared across the dark concrete. It would have been pretty if the art wasn’t so gruesome, and the artists so deadly.

Upon seeing them enter, the rustblood starts to struggle again. The rag used to gag him muffles every cry for mercy he emits. You can’t imagine what he must be thinking, seeing a poorly dressed pirate as one captor and a troll dressed in a tight red/teal suit as the other. Death is death, you suppose, no matter how the reapers are dressed. The prisoner must get that too, because he looks absolutely terrified. Vriska ignores him, her attention fully on you. She’s got that look in her eye, a look that you haven’t fully deciphered yet. But it’s the kind of look that makes you wonder if she’s considering you as her lusus’ next meal. 

“ We’re supposed to be a team, Pyrope! You’re supposed to have my back! No one’s going to miss him, it’s not like there isn’t a plethora of lowbloods on this planet! “ 

“ It’s not about how many there are, or who will miss him! It’s about killing someone who didn’t do anything wrong, that isn’t justice!” 

Vriska opens her mouth, but all you hear is the sound of rock collapsing and shattering as another tremor strikes the hive.  
You’re both silent as you wait for the floor to stop quaking. Even the rustblood ceases his whimpering at the boom of the rockslide. Vriska simply gestures towards the source of the noise, looking at you with a challenging glint in her eyes.

“ If you want to step outside and explain to my lusus that she can’t eat in the name of justice, then go right ahead. But just as a heads up, I have a feeling that she doesn’t give a single fuck about the law. “ 

You don’t argue with her on this. You can’t argue with her on this. You hate to admit it, but letting her lusus go without dinner will probably lead to the destruction of her hive (and possibly Vriska herself,) and unless you decide you’re feeling suicidal, the only remaining option is the lowblood. It must be distressingly awful to have to feed your lusus whose diet consists of mostly trolls, so it’s no wonder that Vriska is completely numb to the idea of putting lives on a silver platter. She’s been doing this her whole life. You always try to understand that, but it sure as fuck isn’t easy. It never was. 

Vriska takes your silence as an answer, and goes to the grab the prisoner by his horn to present him to her lusus. You don’t look as the troll twists violently in her grip, or screams against the gag. You don’t look as she drags him back up the stairs, leaving streaks of crimson as they go. It isn’t until the muffled screams have faded a little that you start to walk the red trail. You take your glasses off, suddenly repulsed by the color. 

This one is going to haunt you for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kind of new to writing fanfiction so constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated!! This is just the first of many chapters (not sure how many, but will define it as "a shitton.")


	2. Chapter 2

VRISKA

That day was not the first nor the last instance of conflict between you two, but there was no quarrel that the Scourge Sisters couldn’t overcome. You remember sitting together after you…’took care’ of the rustblood. Terezi was chewing on the temples of her glasses, staring at nothing while undoubtedly thinking about today’s events. She had a tendency to do that; over-think and feel guilty about the past, stuff she couldn’t change. Unlike you, who lives by the quote: “What’s done is done,” and move on without any regrets. It’s a waste of time to worry about things you can’t redo. Terezi could learn a lot from you. But instead there she sat, caring about people that she didn’t even know. You still can’t understand where the dragon girl found so much compassion for others. Or maybe it was her obsession with righteousness that upset her so? Whatever. 

But you weren’t completely heartless. Terezi was one of the few trolls that actually made you give a damn. About her, you mean, instead of just yourself and your OC which is basically just yourself. Sure, she’s really weird and likes to eat chalk, but she can be clever and skilled in a battle. And she actually listens to you when you start blabbering about pirates or your FLARP character or how great you are. You don’t think anyone really cared about what you said until you met her. Quite a few trolls just want to drag you into a quadrant without actually getting to know you. Or befriend you simply for the status of your blood, rather than you. Which is pretty stupid, since you’re badass and cool and anyone should be happy to be your real friend. For some reason many couldn’t realize that. But Terezi did. It was their loss, anyway.

You never consider telling Terezi about your, er, _appreciation_ for her friendship. You have a stature to uphold. 

So, when you saw the teal-blooded loser moping on the floor, you felt a little bad. Just a tiny bit. Enough to make you plop down next to her and throw an arm over the troll’s shoulder, telling her that you’ll play the role of the accused in her Justice and Retribution game. It kind of unnerves you sitting in front of a bunch of dragon plushies, each staring at you with their stupid button eyes while Terezi recites some speech. You never really listened to it, you were too busy deciding if you actually saw the yellow plush shift to the left a bit. Fuck those things are so creepy. 

But, anything for a friend, you suppose. When you offered, Terezi’s expression changed immediately and she looked at you with a wide grin full of sharp teeth. Despite her grin also being kind of creepy, you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling back. Seriously, you really tried. Apparently caring for others makes you smile like a dumbass a lot! 

That was a couple of sweeps ago. Your bond with her never wavered during all that time, until recently, that is. Terezi made friends out of two other trolls, both lowbloods. You guess her soft spot for the lower half of the hemospectrum didn’t waver, either. One was a girl named Aradia, who you actually didn’t mind so much. She seemed kind of cool. The other was a spineless pushover named...was it Tavray? Tavorn? Something like that. 

The four of you started FLARPing together, you and Terezi being Team Scourge while the others called themselves Team Charge. Your team name was way cooler. Terezi agreed. 

Anyway, it was kind of fun. It was nice having someone other than Terezi to show off to. The two of you were kickass as always, and Aradia was skilled enough to make up for Tavlos’ cowardice. She must’ve been playing for a while, perhaps even as long as you and TZ. You started to think that having more friends wasn’t so bad.

Of course that didn’t last. 

You and Terezi bonded over FLARPing together, so it was fitting to have your bond with her break while FLARPing together.

\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] began trolling arachnidsGrip [AG] \-- 

GC: H3Y 

GC: WH4T D1D YOU DO NOW 

AG: I’m not sure I follow! 

GC: >:[ 

GC: D1D YOU R34LLY FL1NG T4VROS OFF 4 CL1FF OR 1S 4R4D1A T4LK1NG OUT OF H3R 4SS 

AG: I didn’t fling him! 

AG: I might have given him an encour8ging push. ::::) 

GC: OFF 4 CL1FF >:/ 

AG: Details, details! He was cornered by a group of enemies that he insisted he was too weak to fight! So I helped him esc8pe. 

GC: PUSH1NG P3OPL3 OFF H1GH 3L3V4T3D PL4TFORMS WOUNDS TH3M, VR1SK4 

GC: 1 KNOW W3 US3D TO PL4Y TH1S G4M3 TO F33D YOUR LUSUS, BUT TH4T W4S TH3 P4ST 

GC: TH3S3 4R3 OUR FR13NDS 

GC: YOU KNOW, P3OPL3 YOU’R3 NOT SUPPOS3D TO K1LL 

AG: In my defense, FLARP is classified as an Extreme Role Playing Game! 

AG: Do you know the difference between an ERPG and a RPG? 

GC: Y3S 1 KNOW TH3 D1FF3R3NC3 

AG: Then he should have 8een more prepared! If he didn’t want to risk getting hurt, he should have stuck with easy online RPG. 

GC: OK4Y, 

GC: 1N H1S D3F3NC3, 

GC: YOU 4R3 4 J3RK 

\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] ceased trolling arachnidsGrip [AG] \--

AG: Hey, w8!!!!!!!! 

AG: I’m sorry okay???????? 

AG: Rude!!!!!!!! >::::(

She’ll get over it. You think. She usually does whenever you do something to piss her off. You can handle Terezi, and Aradia too. Aradia’s been oddly silent since the incident. She usually sends you pictures from her excavations, and you’d send her pictures of spiders. Eventually she asked you to stop, which confused you, because spiders are cute and you’re not sure why anyone wouldn’t want to see them. Anyway, she’s probably giving you the silent treatment. Oh man, where’s a magic eight ball when you need one? You glance at the pile of shattered eight balls in the corner of your room. You should ease off the smashing; you’re going through your supply way too fast. It’s also staining your carpet, but you don’t mind; blue is a nice color. Also, addiction is a powerful thing. 

Before you finish considering if it’s worth it to break your window, the air around you suddenly drops in temperature. At first you think nothing of it, you always preferred your hive to be on the cold side. Then it starts to get near freezing. The light in your room started to grow dim, like black dye dispersing in a cup of water. Night time on Alternia is never completely dark, thanks to the two moons that illuminate the planet. For a brief second, you wonder if someone covered your hive in a huge blanket. And then you pretend you didn’t, because that’s fucking stupid. 

“ Okay, what the absolute fuck is-- “ 

Then you see it. The shape was so translucent that you questioned if you saw it at all. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, the figure manifests in your mind. Is that...a face? Another troll? More faces began to materialize from the shadows. They circle you in an eerie dance, their silhouettes twisting to form horns and distorting their expressions into ones of fury. While the ghosts overlap each other to form a dome of spirits and hatred around you, you struggle to remember. Why did their faces seem so familiar? Where have you seen them before? And why are they here?

Then it hits you. 

Megido.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!


	3. Chapter 3

TEREZI

It’s been about a week since the FLARP incident. Both you and Aradia agreed to cut ties with Vriska, and though a small part of you is sad to lose your childhood friend, enough was enough! As savage as Vriska could be, you were completely shocked when you were told about Tavros’ injury. She was always violent, but never towards her friends...well, friend. Never towards you. Maybe you were just an exception?

You slump back in your husktop chair, and rub your tired eyes hastily. She was impulsive and unpredictable, but you thought you had a grasp on her mindset. You still do, you think. And that’s why you’re the only one who can handle her. 

That’s what you said to Aradia yesterday, after you asked her how Tavros was doing. She confirmed that he was paralyzed from the waist down, which caused the mound of guilt inside of you to fester. As his partner, you’re sure that she probably felt even worse. Aradia was understandably furious, and if it was any other idiot highblood, you’d tell her to go for it. Hell, you’d even join her with whatever act of revenge she deemed fit. You were never too fond of those higher up in the hemospectrum anyway. Especially not towards that hemophobic, sweaty dumpass living next to Vriska. “D --> Aren’t you a bit t00 green to be talking to me, midblood?” he said to you once. You don’t understand how Nepeta stands him. Then again, Nepeta said the same to you about Vriska. 

But this is Vriska. Vriska is tricky. She is clever and ruthless and you hoped you could make Aradia understand that without dismissing her anger. You told her that she needed to stay out of it, for her own good, and let you deal with her. She reluctantly agreed. 

You haven’t heard from her since. 

You messaged her when you first awoke in the morning, and then again not long ago. But she hasn’t replied. Which isn’t a big deal, she could be busy. It’s only been a day.  
But as Vriska always said, you overthink to much. Ideas and possibilities start to take shape inside your head, images that you can’t push away. And they linger for so long that you swear you can see them whenever you close your eyes. And what you see is never good. 

Maybe you’ll message her one more time.

\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] began trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] \--

GC: H3Y

GC: 1 KNOW TH1S 1S L1K3 TH3 TH1RD T1M3 1V3 M3SS4G3D YOU TOD4Y  


GC: 1 GU3SS 1M K1ND OF WORR13D  


GC: NOT TH4T 1 DONT TRUST YOU, JUST  


GC: 4R3 YOU OK4Y? >:[  


GC: .......  


GC: <===[______}^o<~~~~~ 

GC: 1TS 4 DR4GON  


\-- apocalypseArisen [AA] is an idle troll! --

GC: FUCK 

\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] ceased trolling apocalypseArisen [AA] \--

Fuck, indeed. Now you’re stuck with plan B: Interrogating the spider troll. Not an easy feat, especially when you’re stuck on one side of a husktop. And the said troll is currently studying “How to Lie to All of My Friends” handbook. If that really exists, Vriska most definitely wrote it. 

Before you could start riding the rollercoaster of bullshit that is talking to Vriska, you received a message. 

\-- apocalypseArisen [AA] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC] \--  


AA: hey.  


AA: ii2 anyone there?  


GA: F1N4LLY!  


GA: YOU W3R3NT 4NSW3R1NG 4ND 1 W4S ST4RT1NG TO WORRY  


GA: 4R4D1A, 4R3 YOU OK4Y? >:[  


AA: no.  


AA: ii mean, iim not aradiia. But ii know 2he2 not ok.  


GA: OH, 1TS YOU  


GA: B33 BOY >:]  


GA: FOR 4 S3COND TH3R3 1 THOUGHT SH3 ST4RT3D US1NG YOUR 4NNOY1NG QU1RK  


AA: okay fiirst dont call me that.  


AA: 2econd d11d you really ju2t call my quiirk annoyiing.  


AA: are you fuckiing bliind everyone thiink2 your quiirk ii2 atrociiou2.  


AA: waiit 2top thii2 i2 2tupiid.  


AA: ii thiink aradiia2 dead.  


GA: WH4T  


GA: WHY  


AA: one moment ii wa2 chiilliing iin my hiive and then the next ii wa2 lookiing at hers half-de2troyed.  


AA: and ii cant fiind her anywhere.  


AA: ii dont know what the fuck happened ii 2wear.  


AA: ii would never hurt her liike thi2.  


AA: terezii?  


AA: are you 2tiil there?

You swivel around in your husk chair, burying your face into your hands and cursing. You know what the fuck happened. She didn’t listen, did she? She pursued revenge. You don’t blame her, but you should have been more insistent. She doesn’t know Vriska like you do, you could have stopped this. 

You’re aware of her mind control abilities. You’ve seen what she can do. What she can make others do. She used to make trolls walk straight into her lusus’ web. They were conscious, but they couldn’t scream. 

And to use Sollux! You knew him and Aradia had flush crushes on each other. Vriska must have known too. Using him was so fitting in a fucked up way. It was so evil. It was so _Vriska._

So much for handling this passively. You’re an idiot for thinking you could. You should have seen this coming. In a way, you did. But not until it was already too late. 

A part of you thought that this day might come; that Vriska would get out of control and you would be the one subdue her. But you always hoped you wouldn’t have to. She’s done more bad than good...a LOT more bad than good, but memories you shared with her made you soft. It made you hesitate. You ignored the possibility that any good left in her disappeared with every passing sweep. In the legislacerator rulebook, which you’ve read more than enough to have it memorized, it states that one cannot let personal ties and emotions get in the way of justice. And you’ve delayed this justice for far too long. 

You turn back towards your husktop. A flame of determination sparked inside of you, smoldering any feelings that got in the way. 

GC: SOLLUX  


GC: 1 N33D YOUR H3LP W1TH SOM3TH1NG  


AA: oh there you are.  


AA: wiith what?  


GC: COULD YOU G3T M3 1N CONT4CT W1TH TH3 CU3B4LL GUY?  


AA: who?  


AA: oh you mean that whiite text priick.  


AA: ii gue22, but why? what could he po22iibly do to help?  


AA: diid he do thiis?  


GC: NO  


GC: BUT H3 C4N G3T TO WHO D1D

______________

And he did. It was pretty easy to persuade Vriska into consulting the magic cue ball. You may be paranoid, but she can be, too. Once you told the white doucheball about what she had in her possession, there was no going back. 

You lay back onto your soft pile of plushies, and stare at the ceiling of your respiteblock. The feeling of doubt continues to eat at you from the inside. You imagine yourself bottling it up, and throwing it out window to join the guilty that hung from your trees. 

You avenged her. This is justice. 

You repeat that to yourself until the uncertainty in your stomach subsides, while the silky warmth of your dragons encourage you to close your eyes, and fall asleep. You take them up on that offer. 

You thought you were so clever. But not clever enough to consider the possibility that Vriska survived the explosion. Not clever enough to heed the same warning you gave to Aradia. For someone who inspires to be an astounding legislacerator in sweeps to come, you sure make a lot of mistakes. 

When your eyes slowly opened, the golden city around you transforms into a familiar forest, and the light blue of skaia is dyed a bright red that engulfs your whole vision. For a second you think you’re experiencing Aradia’s last moments when a searing pain explodes in your head, and you collapse. 

Not so clever after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone reading this doesn't remember early events in Homestuck, Vriska killed Aradia after she sent ghosts of her victims to haunt her. Vriska got revenge by mindcontrolling Sollux to eat mindhoney and then blow up Aradia's hive. I don't like repeating conversations from canon, so this chapter takes place right after those events! And then who could have forgotten Vriska's PSYCHIC DOUBLE REACH-AROUND to get back at Terezi after she informed Dr. Scratch of Vriska's possession of the white cue ball, which then blew up in her face.


	4. Chapter 4

VRISKA

On your screen presents a curled up John, fast asleep on his bed... which is also currently sinking in a sea of thick oil. You probably should have paid more attention to his surroundings before you put him to sleep. Oh well, you’ll wake him up soon. He only has a few minutes, but a few minutes is all you need. 

You glance at Kanaya to your right. She hasn’t noticed any of your meddling. In fact, she hasn’t looked your way once since the twelve of you became stuck on this meteor together. A standoffish vibe hangs in the air between you two like a weight. You wonder how she went from a caring moirail to not acknowledging your existence at all. Unsurprising, really. You’re not sure exactly what you did to piss her off, but that’s not unusual either. Making people mad is an accidental (sometimes) hobby of yours. But you don’t have the time to keep track of what upset who and so on. Okay, maybe you do have the time, but you just don’t care. 

Or maybe it’s that human she’s been pestering non-stop since she sat her ass down. Her name is Rose, you recall. While the others seem to troll each human equitably, Kanaya is focusing most of her attention on this one. You can understand why, Rose clearly stands out from the other three. You hear she is a tough cookie to crumble. You, on the other hand, would rather spend your energy on somebody more... emotionally susceptible. Okay Vriska, no need to sugarcoat it, you mean someone easily manipulated. Oh, that reminds you.

You return your attention to your husktop. John had woken up on his own and is now standing on a cluster of rocks protruding from black muck. He is looking wistfully at his abandoned husktop, becoming submerged along with his bed in the deep black. Use your phone, idiot. 

You click over to Jade’s session, which is transpiring at the same time in the past as John’s. You put John to sleep exactly when you needed to; while Jade’s life was actively in danger of the Reckoning. Because of John’s failure to prototype the kernelsprite (or, because of _you_ putting him to sleep,) her insanely powerful lusus fused itself with the kernelsprite to save her. And the end result?

An unbeatable boss.

The same boss that forced you and your friends to hide on a meteor in the Veil. The same boss that everyone is blaming the humans for creating.

They don’t need to worry, though. Lucky for them, they have you. And you have all the luck you need to defeat Jack. The Black King and Queen along with their army were too easy to beat. So easy, that the victory was tasteless. Jack, however, is a boss fit for you. Defeating him will actually be rewarding, and when you do, everyone will see how strong you are. And everyo-- _HONK!_...everyone will- _HONK!_ Oh fucking hell. 

That stupid clown is dancing on his stupid horn pile again. His every step interrupts your thoughts with obnoxious honking. And you thought Tavros’ _pacing_ was bad! The previously disabled troll is understandably excited about his new metal legs, thanks to the effort of Equius and Kanaya. After being paralyzed for so long, who wouldn’t want to try them out? However, pacing back and forth in the same room as everyone else seemed like quite the invitation for you to cripple him, again. You were able to block out each metallic _CLANG_ that echoed off the walls, but those ear-splitting honks? No fucking way. 

You look at Kanaya again, wondering if she is just as irritated as you are. But she looks completely unfazed, staring at her screen while smiling to herself. You lean closer to get a look.  
Purple text. Oh boy, it’s Rose; of course it’s Rose. Your ex-moirail can’t make her flushed crush any more obvious. And speaking of obvious crushes... 

Spinning around in your chair, you start eyeing Te--Oops, wait, that’s Gamzee and his horn pile. You scoot to the left a bit and start eyeing Terezi and Karkat. Their chairs are pressed together, Terezi jabbing her finger at his screen and laughing while Karkat attempts to swat her hand away. She retaliates by whacking him with her cane. You can hear their banter from all the way across the room! Karkat pretends to be angry, but you can see right through him. He’s probably reveling in the attention she’s giving him. You scoff to yourself. Do they have no shame? Seeing them together like that makes you feel something gnawing on your insides. Something you don’t feel often. Is it disgust? Yeah, it’s probably disgust. 

You underestimated her. It took barely a day for Terezi to message you: 

N1C3 ON3, D1PSH1T 

after your Psychic Double Reach-around stunt. You had expected for her to wander around the forest a while; blind and unable to find her way back to her hive. Then she probably would have died from exposure to the Alternian sun, or dehydration. Whichever came first.

But Terezi recovered immediately. How she did it, you have yet to figure that out. Being blind doesn’t seem to restrict her at all. In fact, she seems stronger in a way. More confident. Oh, and more freaky. Yesterday, while the two of you were talking and you were making an absurd amount of blind jokes, you informed her that you had just rolled your eyes. She said she knew, she smelt it. Like, what the fuck???????? You asked her to never smell your eyeballs again. She said no. Sometimes you’d catch her looking in your direction, and although you knew she couldn’t see you, you felt her gaze pierce your soul anyway. 

You rise to your feet, deciding to put an end to this red freak show before Nepeta starts writing fanfiction about it. Ah, who are you kidding. She probably already has. 

Despite the chatter and ruckus taking place around them, Terezi must sense you approaching. Her toothy grin vanishes and her posture becomes rigid while you’re still a few feet away. Karkat, on the other hand, doesn’t notice your presence until you’re right on top of them like a spider ambushing its prey. He flinches and raises his arm defensively when you enter the corner of his vision, and then tries to play it off as him reaching to scratch his shoulder. Terezi’s expression is inscrutable.

You slam your hand on the table and lean over her, your long locks of uneven black hair brushing her shoulder. 

“ Hey, Pyrope. ” You purposely ignore Karkat, who huffs and crosses his arms. “ You’re giving quite the show with stub-horns over here. “ 

Sneaking a peak at her husktop, you identify the human wearing shades. “ Playing with one chumpy boy just wasn’t enough, huh? ” 

Karkat takes a deep breath and opens his mouth, obviously to protest against his new nickname, but Terezi silences him by swatting his ankle. He makes a face like his lusus just told him no when he asked for takeout. 

Terezi turns her head, another smile creeping up onto her face. You duly note that even after all this time, her smile is still contagious. You mentally rip the note into pieces immediately after. 

Terezi speaks as if gently turning down a salestroll at her front door, her grin never faltering.

“ Says you. I know you’ve been meddling with John over there. Did you get bored of exploiting him and decide to bother someone else? Sorry, we’re not interested. “ 

“ Hah! You’re just jealous you don’t have my skill. Manipulating dorks is actually quite easy; I’m not using my powers at all! I can teach you how, if you’d like. “ 

“ Fortunately, I’m not crazy like you, so like I just said: not interested! Nobody cares about contests and meaningless rivalries other than you! Don’t you have anything better to do?” 

“ I do, actually! I’ll have you know that I’m playing quite an important role in John’s quest! And in our session, as well. You’ll see! Oops, smell. Haha, ain’t it a bummer you never died? ” 

“ No. ” She sticks her tongue out at you. 

It’s only then that you realize you attracted some attention from the others. You hesitantly turn your head. Feferi and Nepeta are clearly eavesdropping, not even attempting to avoid eye contact. Tavros stopped his notorious stomping to listen, and even Kanaya finally looked away from her screen to observe the two of you. You also notice Aradiabot’s glowing eyes zoning in on you, and start to sweat. Sollux appears to be the only one who remains as is, due to him definitely not giving a shit. You think you’ll praise him later for minding his own damn business. Terezi notices the eyes on her too, and slowly slips her tongue back behind her lips. Karkat has his palm against his forehead. 

It starts to register in your thinkpan that you created a scene similar to the one you went to complain about in the first place. 

The unexpected attention stumps your ability to come up with anything clever, so you stick with, “ The fuck you all looking at? ” 

Bland, but it does the trick. The trolls pretend to divert their focus off of you. It’s too late, though. You can still feel the tension. 

You strut away from Karkat and Terezi without another word, seating yourself back into your chair next to Kanaya. She’s finally acknowledging you, glancing at you with an amused expression. You half-heartedly flip her off, and open your chat with John. He had extinguished the wall of green fire that surrounded him moments ago, as you expected. You let a smile tug at the corner of your lips. You’re kind of proud of him. 

Your thoughts trail off as you feel someone’s eyes burning holes into your back. You look over your shoulder, already knowing whose eyes you’re going to meet. Terezi is staring... or, er, smelling at you, the same patronizing grin plastered on her face. She sticks her tongue out at you again. If you didn’t know any better, you’d be calling spades. 

But you know better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tend to spend more time revising what I wrote than actually writing. I try to make my writing better with every chapter! So just another reminder that if you have any constructive criticism, I'm all ears! But if you don't, that's okay too! 8) I'm also gonna start making chapters longer!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my longest chapter so far!! I hope everyone reading enjoys it!

TEREZI

You chew on the temple of your shades while your scarlet-colored eyes inspect nothing but darkness. Your nose, however, distinguishes the mix of marshmallow and lime on your screen that is Dave. He was never fond of that particular felt suit, but you had convinced him to keep it on because of its flavor. That’s not what you told him, of course. You told him he looks dashing in green. You might have meant it a little, too. 

The sour scent of lime is slowly being obscured by red, its sweet, cherry smell becoming more pungent by the second. Normally, you’d be relishing in your favorite flavor, but instead you feel your heart twist painfully as you smell the time player bleed out. He stood absolutely no chance with Jack, who reeked of black licorice and stuck out against Dave’s blazing planet like a stain.

One thing you dislike most about this game is the existence of alternate timelines. They always existed, of course, but there was no way for anyone to know for sure. There was only one version of your friends, one version of your life, and one version of your future. SCRUB shined light on alternate universes, and allowed some players to see into them. The reality of different timelines should ideally give someone hope, put the thought in one's head that maybe something went better in another world. But knowing what could have happened, or what _did_ happen, just brought anguish. 

Alternate timelines meant alternate versions of your friends; people you care about. And even if they’re from another universe, or from a doomed timeline, they’re still your friends. They’re still themselves. Knowing that the alpha variant of Dave was alive did not make it hurt any less watching his doomed self die. You wish that you could save everyone from every universe, but you know that’s unrealistic. Right now, you have to focus on your own timeline. You have to make sure this one goes right while others go wrong. 

You put your glasses on, hoping they’ll mask the tears that start to pool in your eyes. If only that stupid sun burned away your tear ducts, too. Once a drop slides down your cheek, you feel Karkat’s stare lock onto you. You ignore him, hoping he’ll get the hint that you don’t want to be bothered. 

He doesn’t.

He slides closer to you, the legs of his chair dragging against the floor and your eardrums. You’d give him an annoyed look if your eyes weren’t leaking faucets at the moment. Before Karkat has the chance to prod at you like you’re a science experiment, you strike him in the face with your palm, and he goes down with a “FUCK!!!” You grab your cane and make a run for the transportalizer, tripping over the debris from Aradiabot’s previous explosion, but managing to make it before anyone else saw your tears. 

Karkat, or anyone else for that matter, don’t follow. You note that a punch is an efficient way to get an idea into his thick head. You decide to take a walk to organize your thoughts, and start strolling down one of the many hallways that create a labyrinth throughout the meteor. The dull scraping of your cane and the overbearing taste of grey engulfs your senses and do little to help your monotonous walk. 

After about ten minutes of wandering and licking your cane to get the taste of charcoal out of your mouth, you hear a honk echo off the walls. You find the sound soothing, realizing that Gamzee is probably taking a solitary walk too. Knowing that you’re not alone in this empty, tasteless maze is comforting. 

You stop at a dead end and sit down along the edge, swinging your legs. The beat of your heels tapping against the wall and occasional honk lulls you deep into your thoughts. Your mind dips into thoughts of Dave, the game, and red chalk. When Vriska crosses your mind, however, your conscious sinks in deep. 

Vriska had left the room not long after her engagement with you and Karkat. Though the two of you had made a truce to cease the cycle of revenge, the highblood still persisted to mess with your head. Both with her words and her bothersome mind control. Vriska learned long ago that her powers don’t work on you, but that doesn’t stop her from scratching the surface of your brain like a meowbeast pawing at a closed door. Though she seems to ooze confidence and conviction, you know better. If she really had so much faith in herself, then she wouldn’t feel the need to participate in stupid rivalries. Mainly with you. Unless it’s just about how beating down others gives her a feeling of ecstasy, but that’s under a whole other category of derangement you don’t feel like analyzing right now. 

You remember yourself sticking your tongue out at her, and cringe. You place your head in your hands, covering the teal flushing your cheeks despite being alone. That totally sent the wrong message. She probably thinks you’re feeling black for her, dumpass. You don’t think you hate her, despite how detrimental and insufferable she can be at times, and though sometimes you just want to grab her and shake her ‘till her eight pupils spin like a wheel, and maybe let her hang with the dragons at your treehouse--

Alright, you can kind of understand how that could be seen as black, but it’s completely platonic! Being in spades with Vriska has the same amount of appeal as an expired bowl of grub-flakes. 

Your totally-not-black-tainted thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a heavy sack smacking the floor behind you. Whatever fell weighed enough to nearly shake you off the edge. You’re about to yell at whoever thought it was a good idea to be throwing bags of who-knows-what around, when the sharp smell of bronze hits your nose. You sniff the air tentatively, and shapes start to form in your mind. A lance appears in the dark first, then the body. At least you think it’s a body, unless Tavros decided to lather himself in peanut butter. You wouldn’t mind some peanut butter at the moment.

Upon closer inspection, you confirm that it is Tavros, and he is swimming in his tangy, copper blood. Except he can’t swim, because he’s dead. He had been pierced through the chest with his own lance. You’re not sure which killed him first: the severe, internal injuries or the fall. The more you breathe, the easier it becomes to outline his body. Both of his arms are twisted at awkward angles, and his yellow eyes stare at the ceiling, glazed over. 

If your heart wasn’t already battered from watching doom Dave die, this discovery would probably hit you harder. It would be easy to succumb to your emotions, and let yourself grieve alone in these dark halls. But a legislacerator has no time to mope. Not while there is justice to be served. You brush your thumb over the head of your dragon cane, steeling your resolve. It is time to begin the investigation.

Dipping your index finger in the pool of bronze, you lift your finger to your nose to inspect it. Ah yes, that is definitely blood. You already knew that, but a good legislacerator is thorough. And you’re the best there is. 

You expel your team from your Scratch n’ Sniff fetch modus, surrounding yourself and the victim with your loyal and sweet-smelling dragons. While Professor Pucefoot draws a green chalk outline around the body, you consider a list of suspects. Let’s see...there’s Vriska, likely. Equius, maybe. Nepeta? No way. Oh, and Vriska, probably. Karkat, definitely not. Gamzee? Nah, that goof couldn’t hurt a fly! Oh hey, what about Vriska?

It seems the Professor is having difficulty picking up the chalk, so you hold it against his snout and offer your aid. Inspector Berrybreath and Doctor Honeytongue are polite and do not stare. It isn’t nice to make fun of someone’s disabilities. 

A cloud of blue fairy dust shimmers on you from above. It smells of a brisk ocean...and something else. You poke your tongue out, attempting to capture some of the sparkling powder. Each speck of blue envelopes your tongue with wind and spindrift, but you still taste it...the flavor of a criminal. (It actually just tastes like Vriska, but that’s basically the same thing.) 

But you mustn’t get distracted. There is still evidence that needs gathering, and a legislacerator to collect it. You crush up some red chalk and apply it to Inspector Berrybreath’s bottom. Why, Inspector, how kind of you to offer your plushy rump! 

You and Berrybreath dust for prints, leaving no area un-chalked! By the time the two of you finish, the corpse is completely covered in a fine red dust. There are no prints to be see--smelled. Except for on the murder weapon, which you probably should have dusted first, but that takes away the fun. You lean in and delicately drag your tongue across the lance, memorizing every print against your taste buds. You lick it a couple more times to really get the pattern in your head. Then again just for the taste; cherry is your favori--Oh, shit. You licked away some of the prints. Real smooth, Pyrope. 

But it doesn’t matter. You already have a prime suspect (it’s Vriska, by the way,) and more than enough evidence to stand a chance in court. The court being you and your dragon plushies, of course. However, there is one matter you have to tend to first... 

You kneel down next to Tavros’ head. You know that his, and everyone's for that matter, dreamselves are dead. Both Prospit and Derse were destroyed by a rampaging Jack. The chance of his dreamself being alive is slim to none. However, as a friend and as a bearer of justice, you must try anyway. The constant and intense smell of blood has started to make you queasy, and you find yourself grimacing as you prepare the kiss. You notice Professor Pucefoot eyeing you. What are you looking at, pinky? Never seen someone kiss someone else back to life before? Grow up. 

You take a deep breath. Oh, okay, that was a big mistake. He’s starting to reek, with all due respect. Pinching your nose, you start to descend in your attempt of revival. 

“ Stop!! Jegus, I can’t watch this anymore! “

You snap your head back up, and look over your shoulder. Standing behind you is none other than Vriska, the prime suspect. The same pixie dust you tasted earlier is pooling at her feet, and she is wearing her citrusy orange godtier, paired with blue wings. It takes a couple sniffs to make out her expression, which seems to be cross between amusement and disgust. The scent of ocean mixed with fruit is much more pervasive than before. How did you not smell her presence? 

You turn back to the blanket of red chalk over the crime scene. You must have breathed in the delicious dust and blocked your senses. Vriska speaks again from behind you. 

“ I mean, I thought it would be pretty funny to just let you kiss him and watch, but that is just too gross even for me! “ 

“ Exactly how long have you been standing there? “ You rise to your feet, trying to brush the blood and dust off your knees. You end up smearing it. 

“ Since you started making out with the lance. You’re pretty freaky, TZ. Do you always do this kind of shit when you think no one is around? “ 

“ First of all, “ You jab a finger at her. “ I do this kind of shit when I _know_ people are around. Second of all, “ 

You lift a second finger, then stop when you notice it looks like a dumb peace sign. 

“ I may be freaky, but I’d rather be a freak than a murderer! Can you say the same, Vriska? “ 

Vriska scoffs, and you can smell her eyeroll despite being feet away. “ Yeah, okay, you obviously jacked off with the corpse enough to know it was me. But believe me, he had it coming! “ 

“ I believe nothing except what the evidence reveals to me. “ 

“ You wanna know how I reached godtier? “ 

“ I already know. Aradia kicked your ass. ” 

“ Yes, but--Hey, stop fucking smirking like that! She had a full body of metal, okay? You wouldn’t be laughing if it was you who fought her! Ugh, forget it, as I was saying,

“ She beat me to a pulp, admittedly, but I didn’t die. Not yet, at least. I asked Tavros telepathically to kill me on my quest bed, and save me from a slow, painful death. And you know what he does? “

You open your mouth to speak, but Vriska continues before you get the chance.

“ He ditches me! Flies away! Leaving me alone to bleed to death, like the coward he is. Er, was. So, if you ask me, he was due for some payback. “ 

“ Payback, of course, it’s all about revenge with you, isn’t it? You can never let things go! “ 

You sense Vriska’s previous patient arrogance warp into anger. 

“ Were you not fucking listening? “ 

“ Yeah, he’s a coward, I know! And he shouldn’t have left you there, but did you really have to kill him? You know how many things you asked me to forgive you for over the sweeps? Breaking promises, killing innocent trolls, feeding my pet slither-beast to your goddamn lusus, then lying to me saying you didn’t know what happened to him! And, “

You tug off your glasses, pointing dramatically at your scorched pupils with your other hand. “ This!!! And you’re telling me you couldn’t have forgiven him for chickening out from killing you? “ 

Vriska is silent, eyeing you steadily. You continue. 

“ And I did! “ Your voice starts breaking. You hope she doesn’t pay too much attention to it. “ I forgave you every fucking time! I don’t even know why. “ 

You do know why, but you don’t want to talk about it. Vriska is quiet for a few more moments before speaking.

“ So, what now? “ You no longer detect irritation in her voice. In fact, you can’t decipher what emotion is laced in her words. 

“ That’s up to you. You plan on fighting Jack, don’t you? “

She nods. 

“ You won’t win. “

“ Did you gather evidence on something that hasn’t happened yet, too? “ 

“ No, jackass, I saw it. In my mind-- “ 

“ Did you eat one of Gamzee’s pies? You know what that does to a troll’s brain! “

You re-equip your shades and pinch the bridge of your nose, a habit that usually occurs when you’re talking to Vriska. 

“ No, I didn’t eat fucking sopor slime. I’m the Seer, okay? The Seer of Mind. I see visions from alternate timelines. I’m supposed to guide us all to victory. That’s how I know that your foolish attempt at being a hero is going to get us all killed, and that is why you should listen to me! “ 

Vriska places her hand on her chin, pretending to think deeply. You know she’s pretending, because whenever she decides something, she’ll go through with it no matter what you, or anyone else says. It’s something you learned over the sweeps of dealing with her. But as a bearer of justice, you must try. 

And as a friend, too, you must try. 

“ You know, “ The highblood starts, “if it weren’t for one thing, I probably would have listened to you. “

“ And that one thing is? “ 

Vriska gestures to her bright orange garbs. 

“ ...I just gestured to my clothes. ”

“ Yes, I know. “ 

“ Then you know that, while you may be a Seer of Mind, I am the Thief of Light! There isn’t an ounce of luck I don’t have, and if there is, I’m called a thief for a reason! “ 

You shake your head somberly, your voice soft with losing hope.   
“ It won’t be enough. “ 

“ I guess we’ll find that out, won’t we? “ 

“ No, we won’t. “ You push your thumb under the curve of your cane’s head, steadily unsheathing your sword. The smell of sharp steel was always something you enjoyed, as it provided you with a sense of pride and courage. But now, it just makes your gut twist uncomfortably. Vriska notices, and an intimidating grin appears on her face. Her sharp fangs never fail to make her look deadly whenever she smiles. 

“ Oh? Is this a challenge, Neophyte? “ She reaches behind her back, and you don’t need to taste the air to know what she’s grabbing at. 

You ignore her attempt at reanimating your old roleplay rivalry. “ We duel. Until one of us surrenders, or can no longer fight. “

“ And if I win? “ 

“ I’ll let you go. And if _I_ win... “

“ You truly don’t get the quantity of power I hold, do you? Whatever, if you win, I’ll stay here with your creepy stuffed dragons and your corpse fetish. “ 

You can smell her dice cluttered in her palm. She tenses when you fully unsheathe your swords, but her smile doesn’t falter. She seems thrilled. You don’t share her excitement. 

But if you’re going to fight her, you might as well make it interesting.

“ Your move, Marquise. “


	6. Chapter 6

VRISKA

A silver bullet whizzes past your ear, and your brain barely has time to register that it was actually Terezi’s blade before she slashes at you again. You propel yourself out of her range, but she manages to knick the hem of your shirt. 

Terezi’s a lot faster than you remembered her to be. And she knows it, too. The smug smile on her face is evidence of that. 

You land, boots grating the floor as you skim to a stop. Terezi stands her ground several feet from you. Her body is still; you can’t detect even an ounce of fatigue. You allow yourself a smirk that matches hers. As fast as Terezi may be, her accuracy is off. You’re not sure if it was her blindness that persuaded the tip of her cane to miss your head, or if she simply didn’t have the guts to cleave your face. Because she totally could have, and that fact exhilarates you. 

She was... _is_ your rival for a reason. She never fails to make things interesting. 

You realize she’s waiting for you to make a move. A dumb thing to do, hesitating like that. To allow you to recover. There’s no way Terezi can win, with a weak conviction. Maybe she missed on purpose, just to leave you with a warning? A taste of how swift she is? 

You should know better by now, TZ. She’ll have to kill you before you change your mind about anything. 

Her head is tilted to the side. She’s listening for your movement. 

Jumping into the air, you flap your wings to accelerate yourself high above your rival. She hears you take off, raising her blades in a cross to shield herself. It must take her a moment to realize you aren’t landing, but when she does catch a whiff of your flying body, she looks up at you with slight frustration. 

“ Flying is cheating. ” 

“ You don’t say? I bet Mindfang thought the same when your ancestor rode Pyralspite. “ 

Terezi raises her eyebrows, and then nods thoughtfully.   
“ Okay, that’s fair. “ 

With a beat of your wings, you swivel in the air and rapidly descend towards her, lining up a kick with her head. Terezi blocks your heel with the flat of her swords, grunting with exertion while a dull thud shakes you both. You bend your legs and vault yourself over her head, landing beside Tavros’ body behind her. 

Grabbing the lance, you rip it from the lowblood’s torso with a sickening squelch. You grimace at the sound, and a volcano of bronze blood erupts from his chest. That seems to make Terezi angrier. 

“ Have you no respect for the dead!? “

“ What?! It’s not like he’s using it! “ 

Her lips curl into a snarl and she sprints towards you. It still impresses you how much area she can cover in mere seconds. However, speed is nowhere near enough to get the edge on you. You intercept her swinging blades with the length of the lance, and a sharp _CLANG_ rings in your ears. Terezi withdraws her blades and somersaults to the side, attempting to cut your legs. You easily dodge with a jump, and land firm on one of her swords, pinning it and Terezi’s arm onto the ground. You hear the tealblood curse, followed by a gasp of pain as you land a devastating kick on her ribs. You think you hear a crack. 

Terezi gives up the sword under your foot, and rolls out of the way of the lance you drive into the ground, where she laid seconds before. You allow her to rise to her feet, and she does, gripping her remaining sword in one hand and clutching her side with the other. She’s panting now--also a mistake. Breathing through her mouth dampens her sense of smell, which leaves her with only sound to perceive your position. You could finish it now, while she’s still recovering. You’re disappointed that it won't last long, you were having fun. It isn’t her fault, though. You have all the luck, and someone can only fight against the odds for so long. 

You see that Terezi’s eyes are shut tight. Is she afraid? No, she’s concentrating. To hear you over her own ragged breaths? Maybe.

You decide you won’t kill her. You’ll just wound her enough so she can’t follow. She survived wandering around in the daytime of Alternia, blind. She can survive this, too... Not that you’re worried, it’s just stupid to kill the people you’re trying to save. Uh, minus Tavros. 

You lift the lance over your shoulder, aiming for her legs. Terezi isn’t panting any more, but her eyes are still closed, and she isn’t moving. What the fuck is she thinking? 

You hurl the lance at her, but it stabs nothing but air as Terezi twists out of it’s path. Fuck, you waited too long. Feelings really do nothing but hinder you. 

Your eyebrows furrow in concentration as you try to impale your rival with the spear. Despite her breathing being louder than yours, she manages to move out of the way of your every jab. Every. Fucking. Time. Her eyes are still closed, and if she wasn’t actually blind, you would find it incredibly mocking and infuriating. 

She’s on the offense now, her tiny and thin sword surprisingly formidable against the heavy lance. You barely have time to close the openings Terezi’s blade finds before it lacerates your skin. She was good before, but is even better now, and you can’t figure out what changed. Maybe she was going easy on you this whole time? No, that can’t be it. 

You bend over backwards to avoid Terezi shredding your throat, but she manages to knick the bottom of your chin. The cut stings as your blood meets the air. 

For someone who can’t see, she sure fights like she does, and you can’t wrap your mind around _how_. 

...wait, that’s not a bad idea. 

With a flutter of your wings, you put some distance between you and Terezi. Then you close your eyes and focus, letting your mind’s tendrils spill out from beyond your skull to intertwine themselves with Terezi’s. You rub your temple, attempting to soothe the pain that erupts behind your eyes. 

Before your thoughts can reach her, however, you’re met with a heavy resistance of crossfire, as if someone else is reaching into your head at the same time. Your eyes snap open, shattering the link to Terezi. It slowly dawns on you. 

The Seer of Mind. The fucking _Seer_ of motherfucking _Mind_. How could you be so stupid? She can probably see your every move before it even happens. So that’s what she was concentrating so hard for. 

Terezi takes advantage of your stunned thoughts and skewers your shoulder with her cane, releasing a painful and enraged cry from you. The puncture of your arm makes you drop the lance, which falls to the floor while you hasten to get away from the opposing troll. You grip your shoulder, but your fingers do little to stop the flow of cobalt blood that stains your sleeve. It mixes poorly with orange, creating an ugly green. First, she stabs you, and then she makes your clothes ugly. Real nice. 

You tentatively pull the tendons in your wounded arm. It hurts like hell, but moves well enough. 

The lance is now out of your reach, between it and you stands Terezi, gripping the remaining half of her cane with both hands. Her face is contorted with concentration. If she thinks she’s enough to stop you from re-equipping that lance, then she doesn’t learn fast enough. 

You return to the air, leaving a trail of glowing blue dust and blood beneath your feet. Terezi wastes no time taking her turn with the lance, pulling it out of the broken ground and flinging it towards you. You effortlessly dodge it, watching it tear the empty space beside you. Did she really think that would work? 

Your snigger is interrupted by Terezi catapulting herself into you. You realize the lance was but a distraction, and briefly wonder how the hell she jumped that high before the two of you crash onto the floor. Your breath is knocked out of you, and the two of you tumble over each other until you reach a stop near the edge. Terezi landed on top of you, luckily for her, and she’s pinning your arms down with her knees. Your shoulder is blazing with pain. Before you can comment on her shared genetics with a hopbeast, she slugs you in the jaw, snapping your head to the side. You taste blood on your lips and cough, struggling to breathe while Terezi’s weight crushes your lungs. You catch a look at her pained expression before she hits you again, this time in the nose. A river of blue runs from your nostrils, flowing into the curve of your lips, drowning you with it’s overwhelming metallic taste. Ugh, how did Terezi stand licking that stupid bloody lance? Your thoughts are shattered by another blow to the cheek, which you feel bruising immediately. Teal blood on Terezi’s knuckles mixes with your own. 

You flinch as Terezi raises her fist once more, but another hit doesn’t come. She sits on you, her fist frozen in the air while her dull red eyes stare at you. You spit at her. 

“ What the fuck are you waiting for? “ 

“ ...I don’t-- ” 

You don’t let her finish. You furiously lift your knee, jabbing her in the abdomen and weakening her hold on you. You tug your good arm free from the weight of her leg, and deliver an uppercut to her face. The force of the blow knocks her off of you, and you waste no time getting to your feet. You wipe your mouth, smearing your blood across your cheek. 

You hiss at her. “ You fucking asked for this, Pyrope. “ 

Terezi smells you reaching into your pocket, and rushes to retrieve both of her abandoned blades. By the time she gets hold of the second one, the tossed Fluorite Octet have already clattered onto the floor. Normally, the combination of the die would be up to mere chance. Therefore, the result of this battle would be up to mere chance, too. 

But, luckily for you, and unfortunately for her, the power delivered with your rise to godtier gives you just the edge you need to tip the coin to your favor. 

The last die rolls to a stop, landing on the same number as the seven others: eight. The two trolls are suddenly engulfed by an immense flash of radiance from the glowing dice. Terezi’s expression mirrors dread before it is masked by the curtain of blue light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole battle was originally supposed to last one chapter, but then I decided to separate it into two chapters, so we can get both Vriska's and Terezi's POV! Also, I know it's not canon, but I always liked the idea that Terezi's powers allowed her to see into the minds of others, hence "Seer of Mind." Kind of like Vriska, except she can't control anyone, just read what they're thinking!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *writes a new chapter* I think this is my most favorite chapter so far *writes a new chapter* i think this is my most favorite chapter so far *writes a new chapter* i think th

TEREZI

Normally you’d be ashamed of such sloppy combat. You prefer for your victories to be quick, clean, and effective. But when your opponent is Vriska Serket, sometimes you have to compromise. 

You used to skirmish with her like this, many sweeps ago. Well, not _exactly_ like this. The two of you weren’t fighting with the intention to kill, and neither received wounds any worse than a gash or sprain. You remember one time you accidentally put a hole in her foot. You dug your blade into the ground to balance yourself, and Vriska happened to put her foot in the same spot a second before. 

Damn, did she bitch about that. 

“ What the hell, Terezi! You don’t see me poking holes in you! That fucking hurt!!!!!!!! “ 

“ You should watch where you’re stepping! “

“ _You_ should watch where you’re stabbing! “

She hopped all the way back to her hive, leaning on you for support. You wrapped up her foot in grubgauze; the most absorbent brand. Vriska took the opportunity to pretend she was your queen and at one point kicked you in the face. It was a friendly kick, though. Doesn’t everyone kick their friends? 

For the rest of the night, you and her cuddled together on a pile of scalemates (you brought one over every time you were there to add to the pile) and watched movies. They were all horrible romcoms, suggested by none other than Karkat. Vriska would point out every trashy trope and cheesy line, making you laugh throughout the whole night. You remember sneaking glances at her during dialogue, studying how the pale light reflected off her glasses, and how her hair fell over her shoulders like a dark waterfall, and how she finally stopped complaining about her foot--

Stop. Why are you thinking about this? That was a long time ago. Things are different. You’re different, she’s different. And this isn’t just a skirmish. 

You clutch your side, your ribs aching under your skin. That was not a friendly kick. You think a bone might be broken, or two. You should’ve been able to handle her, your swordsmanship skills are much more potent than they used to be. However, Vriska has improved, too. You’re not sure if it was hard training, or just her godtier abilities, or both. Whatever it is, it made you two evenly matched. This is the first time in awhile your heart has pounded so hard. 

You smell a bruise swelling beneath your shirt, and your knuckles are soaked in your teal blood. Despite that, you’re still in better shape than Vriska. Most of her facial features are now obscured by her blood. The fairy dust that was sprinkled around her feet is replaced with a pool of blue, streaming down from a wound in her shoulder and dripping off her fingers. You don’t like smelling her like this, but you can’t exactly pinch your nose without getting impaled a second later. Probably. 

You’re not sure what unnerves you more: the sound of several dice hitting the floor, or Vriska’s menacing grin that’s peeking through the mask of tangy blood. You don’t get much time to decide before your senses are drowned in waves of azure. Normally, any shade of blue smells good, but this just tastes of power. Like burning matter, a storming sea, and chilling ice. You choke on it. 

If you had better odds than her a moment ago, you sure as fuck don’t now. 

The blinding light finally diminishes, and the room returns to the dark, excluding Vriska’s radiant form. You’ve only experienced this form once before, during the battle against the Black King and his army. It was at the very end of the battle, and if you recall correctly, she calls it--

“ Ancestral Awakening. ” The words drip from Vriska’s mouth like venom. Her citrusy godtier robes have been replaced with a garment of black--ugh, licorice. Why does every asshole wear black? She’s holding a lengthy sword that reminds you of a demon’s fang. You’d be more impressed if it wasn’t being used against you.

Now, you know you can’t beat her. You know she’ll kill you before she lets you stand in her way of anything. 

But there isn’t a single timeline in existence where you don’t plan on giving her a hell of a hard time. 

“ Your move, Neophyte. “ 

_No, thank you! Bye! Have fun fighting Jack!_ That would be so much easier. But what kind of friend would you be if you didn’t at least _try_ to stop her? It’ll end in your death either way. And you’d rather die by her hands than Jack’s, even though the latter would be a great ‘I told you so!’ to Vriska. 

You can no longer smell blood anywhere on Vriska’s skin or attire. Did her stupid transformation heal her? You lift your dual-swords, your injuries painfully obvious. Vriska waits, watching you like you’re her plaything. Her gaze makes your skin itch uncomfortably. 

It only takes a second for her location to disappear from your senses completely, as if she just faded. You take a deep breath. You can still smell her, but nowhere in particular. It smells like...she’s everywhere. The room is filled to the brim with her brisk scent, but it seems to be evenly distributed in the air. It isn’t gathering densely in one area like it was a few seconds ago. You would have thought Vriska simply left if her presence wasn’t so substantial around you. You know you’re just a sitting quackbeast if you don’t move, but there’s a peculiar buzzing inside your head that’s telling you even a single step is a trap. But that isn’t really your gut feeling, is it? 

It isn’t until a whole 5 seconds after she cuts you that you smell her. Vriska suddenly materialized at your 4 o’clock, thrusting her prodigious sword a couple inches away from your head. The move is similar to how you started the match, except Vriska was kind enough to cleave a deep incision in your right shoulder. What goes around comes around, you think. You’re too busy howling in pain to say it.

Your skin quickly becomes coated in a warm, sticky, teal blanket. You clutch your arm, fearing that it will fall off if you let go. It smells as if you were being submerged in your own blood, and you start to panic, forgetting Vriska for a second. While your mind skips through ending scenarios for yourself, you remember Jack. And your remaining friends on the meteor. Their ending is resting on your shoulder. Yes, just one shoulder. The other one can’t even hold up a sword. One will have to do. 

You let one of your blades clatter on the ground, right arm now useless. You spin 180 degrees and slash with your remaining sword at Vriska. Or, where Vriska just was. Your blade slices nothing, except maybe your hope. 

“Oh, for fu--” Vriska’s foot connects with your spine, cutting you off and propelling you across the floor like a stone skipping over water. You leave an aqua-colored splash with every skip. Tavros’ corpse is what finally halts you, landing with a grunt of shock on top of him. Looking back on this moment, you’d like to say that you returned to your feet once more, and stood your ground. But you don’t. You lay there, like a pathetic grub. The odor of death is inundating, leaving you confused and muddling your thoughts. For the first time since you became blind, you actually feel blind. You can make out Vriska standing over you, and although you can’t see her face, you have no doubt she’s looking upon you with disappointment. 

“ Really, Redglare? “ 

Though her voice isn’t soothing, it’s better than listening to your aggrieved gasps and groans. It feels as if weighted ropes are tied to your limbs, but you manage to lift your blade. You barely have time to swing it before Vriska grabs your wrist and twists it, making you drop it. It sinks into the pond of bronze. You must look really pathetic, because she didn’t wring your wrist enough to break it. She lets you go, and instead of accepting that you’ve reached your limit like a sensible troll, you swing pitifully at her out of desperation. Being ambidextrous doesn’t improve your punch at all. She easily moves out of the way, like you expected, and grabs a fistful of your blood-soaked shirt. You hear her sign before she flings you over the edge. You smack against the opposite wall, and you briefly think about how the room must look like the aftermath of a paintball game. Gravity soon takes hold of you and you feel yourself fall into the black pit. You’re too weary to brace yourself for impact, and consider letting yourself blackout before hitting the bottom. It sure is tempting. 

But the impact doesn’t come, and you never reach the bottom. Instead, you land in Vriska’s arms, who catches you with an oomf! You’re grateful that she knew better than to grab you by your arm, because if she grasped your injured one, it would have surely ripped off. She’s still squeezing you much too tight, but it’s better than falling into the depths. 

“ Are you finished, yet? “ She asks

You spit. “ Are _you_? “ 

She just stares at you. You wait a moment before nodding vaguely. 

“ Good. Don’t you see now? You can’t beat me, and neither can Jack. No one can, not with my power! “ 

That makes you snicker, a little blood dribbling from your lips. Vriska glares at you. 

“ I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had to make you understand! “ 

“ Shut up, he’s going to kick your ass. “ 

“ Your words have little influence while you look like this. “ 

“ You’re going to get us all killed, Vris.” 

You smell her expression soften at the sound of her nickname. 

“ You don’t have to worry, I won’t lose. You always did worry too much. “ 

“ I won’t let you go. “

“ You can’t stop me. “

She’s right, you can’t. You can barely lift your head right now. But you can still stubbornly pretend that you can. 

“ Please, ” You say, “ don’t go. “

Vriska says nothing, her expression a mix of pity and sadness. You can feel your conscience slipping, and you struggle to stay awake. If you faint now, you’re pretty sure the next thing you’ll wake up to is Jack Noir’s sword through your chest. Or worse, you’ll wake up and find everyone else’s corpses. Panic starts to seize you once more. You need to stop her. You’ve got to. Your voice comes out scratchy due to the blood in your throat. 

“ Vriska. “ 

“ Yes? “

You black out. 

* * *

When your eyes open again, you don’t see Jack, or any dead bodies. Not even Tavros’. But you don’t see Vriska either.

You’re lying on a couch. Your shoulder has been wrapped up; bandages cloaking your chest and arm. There’s a bag full of ice on the ground. It was probably placed on your bruise, and fell off while you tossed and turned in your sleep. Oh, and your shirt is off. You’re only a little embarrassed; you’re mostly relieved. By now it must be disgustingly encrusted with your blood. 

You know you had a nightmare, but can’t remember what it was about. But you don’t need to remember. You’re pretty sure you know what happened in it.

You eventually come to the conclusion that you’re in the meteor’s lounge. You didn’t know the meteor even had a lounge until recently. After Karkat woke up from his dream self being slaughtered on Prospit, he brought everyone here and insisted they all drank black bean juice to stay awake. Most declined, including you, but he was very adamant. And you’d honestly do just about anything to get Karkat to stop screaming in your ear. Karkat had about 7 cups of black bean juice himself. You told Dave about it, but he was more dumbfounded by “black bean juice” than the amount Karkat drank. He said that on Earth, it’s called “coffee.” You always found it so odd how humans came up with a specific name for every combination, instead of just describing them.

Speaking of, the room smells faintly of bla--coffee. It’s a refreshing and welcomed change. You take a whiff of your bandages. Among the scent of wounded flesh and sopor slime, you smell Vriska. She must have wrapped you up. Ironic, really, since she’s the one who hurt you. Oh, and she’s also the reason you’re going to die anyway. 

You sit up and tentatively place your feet on the ground. Sopor slime does wonders for numbing pains. You stand up, and although your body feels like it’s been crushed by a rockalanche, you’re still steady. You paw at the table to find:  
Your glasses. The most important.  
Your bloodstained shirt. You discard that.  
Your cane, the short sword is sheathed and connected to its full length. 

You also find a white scalemate, Pyralspite! Such a good friend, here to comfort you in times of hardship. And finally...your FLARP cosplay? The red and blue garbs are laid out enticingly before you. You grin. This must be Vriska’s substitute for your ruined shirt. And maybe an indirect jab at you, but you’re grateful nonetheless. 

Undressing is difficult due to your injuries, and the added paranoia from _you-know-who_ bursting in doesn’t help, but you manage. Your neophyte outfit still fits pretty well, despite being made when you were much younger. You suppose that’s one perk to not growing much after you were 4 sweeps old. 

Breathing deeply, you take a look at yourself. Yeah, you look really cool. You bet you would have fought better if you were wearing this while fighting Vriska. Fashion is just as important as weapon choice. Kanaya would most definitely agree with you. 

You decide to stop checking yourself out and assess the situation on the meteor. Finding Karkat would be a good start. Hopefully he’s been keeping everyone together, as a leader should. You pick up your cane, tug on your gloves, and start to walk out of the lounge when you suddenly get a message. You forgot you combined your shades with your phone to create your current spectacles.

\-- carcinoGenesist [CG] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC] --

CG: HELLO???

CG: PLEASE ANSWER, YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ONLINE FOR HOURS.

CG: YOU BETTER NOT FUCKING BE DEAD.

CG: I’LL KICK YOUR ASS IF YOU’RE DEAD.

CG: EVERYTHING HAS GONE TO SHIT AND I’D REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF I COULD TALK TO SOMEONE OTHER THAN SOLLUX.

CG: OH, AND I’M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT YOU.

CG: KNOCK KNOCK, MOTHERFUCKER.

GC: WH4T

CG: OH

CG: OH THANK FUCKING GOD.

CG: YOU ACTUALLY ARE ALIVE. 

CG: WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GO, I’VE--

CG: WE’VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!

CG: I THOUGHT GAMZEE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN YOU TOO.

GC: W41T, WH4T?

GC: G4MZ33?

CG: HE’S FUCKING LOST IT!!!

CG: I’LL EXPLAIN MORE IN PERSON, LET’S RENDEZVOUS.

CG: WHERE ARE YOU?

GC: TH3 LOUNG3

CG: WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN THE LOUNGE!?

CG: LOUNGING AROUND WHILE EVERYONE ELSE IS GETTING SLAUGHTERED!

GC: 1S J4CK H3R3???

CG: WHAT? NO HE’S NOT FUCKING HERE.

GC: 1S VR1SK4 H3R3???

CG: I DON’T FUCKING KNOW! LISTEN TO ME!

CG: A FOURTH OF OUR TEAM SUDDENLY GOT A TASTE FOR MURDER AND

CG: I DON’T KNOW, I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, I NEED TO KEEP THE REST OF US SAFE.

CG: DON’T MOVE, I’M HEADING OVER.

GC: W41T

CG: WHAT.

GC: 1 TH1NK 1 H34RD SOM3TH1NG

CG: WAS IT A HONK?

CG: IT WAS A HONK WASN’T IT.

CG: TEREZI YOU HAVE TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!

CG: TEREZI?!

CG: FUCKING HELL!!

\-- gallowsCalibrator [GC] is now an idle troll --

CG: OHHHHH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD.

You turn off your shades to block out Karkat’s pestering while to strain to listen. If it is Gamzee, and he really is killing, then you’re in trouble. You wonder what set him off. Maybe he’s resonating with his highblood roots? 

You should probably be afraid, but you still feel like absolute shit from your previous battle, so instead you’re kind of pissed off. Here you are, trying to prevent the inevitable, and some killer clown decides to hop around and make your job harder. Real nice, Gamzee. A puppet suddenly bounces into your scent range; you can barely smell the plastic under the veil of blood. Who’s blood? You’re not sure, but it doesn’t belong to just one troll. Hoo boy. A honk echoes into the room from the hallway. 

You got a lounge full of puppets, a fist full of sword, and a heart full of justice...Oh, and a body full of gashes, so you think you’re going to take Karkat’s advice on this one. 

You snatch up Pyralspite, and half-jog-half-limp into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally deleted a chapter earlier and kind of messed up the whole fic (which I've since then fixed!! So don't worry!) but as a consequence some peoples' comments were deleted along with the chapter :( Im so sorry about that! But enjoy the chapter anyway!

VRISKA

You would have wiped the blood from her cheek if your arms weren’t busy holding her. The sensation that prickles your skin triggers déjà vu, and you find yourself remembering the moment of Aradia’s death. Or rather, the moment you sat in your huskchair, out of breath from your psychic exertion and waiting for the news of your murder attempt to reach the others. You struggle with the same feeling now as you did then; your breath hastens as if the air is lacking oxygen, and you find yourself wanting to cower away from your own shadow. It’s a shadow that seems to grow with every regret, and follows you like a constant reminder. Something that can be ignored at times, but will never go away. You’re always wary of it, like one day it’ll obtain a mind of its own and choke you in your sleep. Although the room is too dark for any shady silhouettes to form, it doesn’t bring you any comfort--it just gives them more places to hide. You’re Vriska Serket, and you totally aren’t afraid of the dark, except you kind of are. 

Your hold on Terezi nearly slips a couple times, thanks to the amount of her blood coating your arms. Her eyes shift rapidly behind her glasses as she attempts to stay awake, and when she opens her mouth to speak, more blood comes out than words. But despite that, you can still make out Terezi’s begging. She really thinks you’re going to lose. Why can’t she have more faith in you? 

_Look at the state you put her in. Why would she trust you?_

She started the fight. You just wanted to show her what you’re capable of!

_You got carried away, like you always do. And you hurt the people you care about, again._

Terezi’s coughing fit diverts your attention from the voices in your head. God, she looks pathetic. Not the kind of pathetic that makes you laugh and sneer, but the kind that makes your heart twist with guilt. 

“ Vriska? “

“ Yes? “ 

Her hazy eyes seem to stare at you for a moment longer before she closes them, releases a shuddering breath, and faints. You’re kind of glad, the tone in her voice was making it harder and harder to let her go. Too much of you wanted to say, “ Okay, fine, I’ll stay. “ and then you two could patch each other up and shittalk the humans. Kind of like friends. Kind of like the two of you used to be. 

But the rest of you doesn’t want to be her _friend_. Terezi’s an opponent, your rival, a challenger. Her only purpose is to prove how much better you are at everything. And you’d be lying if you say you don’t have a little black crush. Or do you? Ugh, you’ve always struggled with placing your emotions in one quadrant or another. During the battle, spades were spinning in your head and your heart was pumping it's dark ink through your veins. But when you look at her now, you feel none of that. Not even a trace. You’re experiencing an emotion that you’re not going to bother trying to classify, but it isn’t what a kismesis would feel. You never felt this way when you hurt Eridan, as shitty of a kismesis he was. You’re not supposed to want to pull her closer, to tend to every bruise and cut and continue holding her like some kind of moirail-- 

What the fuck are you thinking? You did this to her. And you don’t regret it, you don’t regret it, you _don’t_ regret it. You did what was necessary, she’ll understand one day. One day soon, actually, once you beat Jack. And she’ll feel silly for trying to stop you. 

The bleeding from her shoulder has slowed down. She should be okay to leave alone. Karkat or someone will find her, just put her down and leave. You’ve been delayed long enough. Just. Go.

* * *

Okay, that cut in her shoulder is deeper than you thought. You’re such an asshole. 

You’ve never been great with bandaging. You never really had the practice. Whenever you got scuffed up, it was always Terezi who mended you. And when she got scuffed up, she would mend herself, too. You didn’t bother learning, even when Terezi offered to show you. You told her it was because scars are cool, and they totally fucking are, but you also didn’t want to admit that you’re bad at something. When she left for the night, you’d rip off every bandaid and peel off any grubgauze on your skin and let the wounds heal on their own. 

And when your arm was blown off, you figured it would be easier to cauterize it than try to wrap it up. Equius heard your screams all the way from his hive next door.

You lean back and take a look at your bandaging job. A little sloppy, but it’ll do. Terezi is out cold on the couch, but her bleeding has finally stopped. You might have decided to wrap her up before you left, _just in case_ no one found her and she bled out. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for two murders! Plus, she has to be alive for when you return from your victory against Jack. You’re almost excited to see the look on her face when that time comes. 

You had to remove Terezi’s shirt to properly stitch her cuts. Not a big deal, the two of you slept in the same recuperacoon when you were grubs. But you still felt awkward when you lifted Terezi to wrap the gauze around her, and you found yourself glancing at the door much too often. You can’t imagine what someone would think if they walked in to see you and a shirtless tealblood on the couch. Well, you CAN imagine, but you’re not going to. You’re a sophisticated troll. 

HA! Nice one, you totally aren’t. But this is Terezi, and you respect her, though you’ll never admit it to her face. Not even when she’s unconscious.

You recover your husktop from your sylladex to check your messages one last time before you go. John’s icon is blinking on your screen. Taking a look at his session, you see him dawdling in one of the many castles on Skaia.

\-- ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering arachnidsGrip [AG] \--

EB: vriska!

AG: Hi, John. ::::)

AG: What are you doing?

EB: chilling with this little black pawn guy!

EB: i didn’t realize these guys had such personality! are they all like this?

EB: i mean, i knew they were alive and all, but i thought they’d be more like CPs! like from videogames.

EB: CPs just programmed to fight against each other, and uh...do you know what CPs are?

AG: Of course.

EB: yeah! they’re little people!

AG: John.

EB: isn’t that kind of sad, that they have to fight each other no matter what? he seems pretty docile, i bet he doesn’t like fighting.

AG: John!

EB: wait, since he’s one of the black pawns, isn’t he on the other team? isn’t he the enemy? that sucks!

AG: J8hn!!!!!!!!

EB: what?

AG: Don’t you have more pressing matters to attend to?

EB: like finding my dad?

AG: Hmmm, close, 8ut no.

AG: Like getting the 8om8!

AG: Oh, I mean The Tumor.

EB: oh yeah.

EB: but i don’t even know where to start looking!

AG: Sure you do! It’s in the center of Skaia.

EB: ...right.

EB: but how do i get there?

AG: Now, John, I’m not here to hold your hand anymore! You’re smart, I’m sure you’ll think of something.

AG: 8ut m8ke it quick, I’m going to fight Jack soon, and that 8om8 is plan 8!

EB: what where the other 7 plans?

EB: oh.

EB: nevermind.

AG: ::::/

EB: why does this have to be plan b? do you really have to fight jack?

AG: Ugh, not you too.

AG: Yes, I have to! Sometimes, heroes have to take risks! And this is a risk I must take!

AG: 8ut don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be just fine!

EG: ok, if you say so...

AG: Hey, I have a question.

EG: yeah? 

AG: Do you think the end justifies the means?

EG: um.

EG: i’m not sure. i think it depends?

AG: I hurt someone to teach them a lesson. They weren’t listening or understanding, and forced my hand!

AG: I didn’t want to hurt them, but they started it.

AG: I almost killed her.

EG: her?

AG: Them.

AG: Am I in the wrong, John?

EG: i mean, if they started it, i don’t think so!

EG: it was kind of like self defense, right?

AG: Well.

AG: Not exactly.

EG: oh. well what were you trying to teach them?

You hear the cushions shift and snap your head up. Relief washes over you when you see Terezi’s eyes closed, and she’s just shifting in her sleep. Still, that could mean she’ll wake up soon. You need to get out of here before she does.

AG: Actually, don’t worry about it!

AG: I have to go now, 8ut I’ll message you again soon!

AG: Work on getting The Tumor, okay? ::::)

EG: oh, uh, i will!

EG: that’s a promise, right? that you’ll message me soon?

AG: I promise.

EG: okay then

EG: see ya!

ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering  arachnidsGrip [AG]

You slap your husktop shut, and return it to its captchalogue card. You take one final look at Terezi. You’ll see her and everyone else again, soon. And no one can be mad at you after beating Jack! You’ll practically be their savior. 

It takes a few minutes to maneuver your way out of the meteor. The halls were eerily silent; usually you could at least hear someone shouting no matter where you are. Those dunces are loud as fuck. But now, everything was quiet. You decide not to pay much mind to it. No one crosses your path, so you’re sure everything is fine.

The vacuum of space has no effect on anyone as long as they remain in the Incipisphere, where the game transports everyone who plays. The Incipisphere contains the Medium, which is between the Furthest Ring and Skaia. The ecto-lab the trolls are in is in the Veil; the belt of meteors that separates the Medium from the Furthest Ring. You’re not sure what the environment is like in the Furthest Ring, but you were told that space and time is pretty warped there. Luckily, Jack was last seen somewhere inside the Medium. You have a feeling you know exactly where to find him. 

Except you don’t. He is nowhere to be seen. You flew to the site of the _Ultimate Reward_ , but no one was there. You waited a few minutes, but still no one appeared. Both Prospit and Derse were destroyed in this session, as well as Skaia, so he couldn’t be there. You end up traveling to four out of twelve planets before deciding it was a waste of time. You doubt he’d be on any of them. There’s nothing there for him! Everyone’s going to think you’re such a loser when you return and admit you couldn’t find him. And after all that big talk! Maybe he’s somewhere in the humans’ session? 

It isn’t until you’re halfway back to the lab that you see him. You knew you’d find him! (You didn’t.) After all, you are one lucky lady. You slip your hand into your pocket and wrap your fingers around the Fluorite Octet. The smooth surfaces of the dice helps soothe your nerves. Even you get nervous sometimes. 

Like you, he was flying around in the Medium. You’re not sure where the hell he’s going, but it doesn’t matter, because he finally notices you. Not that it’s hard to notice a girl in bright orange clothing in space. He stares at you, his eyes like two icicles penetrating your skin. Your breath catches in your throat. 

And then you release it, because he doesn’t stop. He eyes you for a moment, and then turns away, like you’re some rotten leftovers in his bowl. 

And boy, does it piss you off. You fly after him. 

“ HEY! DUMPASS! I’M HERE TO BATTLE YOU! “

He doesn’t stop flying.

“ ISN’T THAT WHAT YOU WANT? TO MAKE SOME TROLL KEBABS? “ 

You’re ignored. And you can’t figure out why. He wasn’t picky about who he killed before, he just slaughtered everything in his path. So why not you? He doesn’t seem afraid, he looks like he doesn’t even care. 

Then you see it. The faint trail that Jack’s snout is pursuing. The faint, twinkling, cyan path. Your faint path. And it leads right back to the lab. 

Your breathing stops.


	9. Chapter 9

TEREZI 

Your hand is grazing the wall as you make your way through the halls. Your cane is tucked under your armpit, off the ground, in an attempt to reduce as much sound as possible. There is only the light _tap tap_ of your feet and the _sniff sniff_ of your nose. In your other arm is Pyralspite, just as quiet and spooked as you are. So far, you’ve had to stop twice to put your belongings on the ground. Even the weight of a single scalemate was too much for your injured shoulder. You didn’t stop for long, though. It’s far too risky when danger is about, and innocent lives are compromised. 

Your chance of not endangering yourself while you walk, however, is very slim. You never spent much time in the ectolab; you and the rest of the team left that to Karkat and Kanaya. You regret it now, for you’re unsure of how to make your way back. Which is why you’re traveling along the right wall, the solution for getting through any maze. As long as you stick to one side and keep walking, you should eventually find your friends. Or a murderous clown. Whichever comes first. 

Speaking of, that revelation is still baffling. Gamzee has always been weird, and his religion is annoying, along with his honking horns and tendency to leave sopor pies everywhere… But you still think he’s chill guy, more or less. He always keeps his cool, no matter what’s going on. And he never retaliates when others insult him. You might admire that trait of his a bit. 

Despite that, you don’t doubt Karkat’s words in the slightest. If Gamzee is posing a threat to others, then it is your duty to neutralize him. You’re not quite sure _how_ you’ll do that, in your current condition. You are totally not pretending that there isn’t a bigger threat possibly coming. You aren’t using this situation as a distraction at all. 

Your path stretches into a wide, empty room. Well, mostly empty room. A deep breath reveals two figures lying still on the floor. The one who reeks of sweat is most definitely Equius, and you recognize Nepeta’s sweet scent of catnip and sugar. 

They are both dead. 

Oh, poor, poor Nepeta. Your wonderful roleplaying partner. No one took your scalesona as seriously as she did, and you are forever grateful of that. She didn’t deserve a fate like this.

And, uh, you guess you’re sad over Equius too. Even though he was a pretentious highblood, you know he cared for Nepeta. He didn’t deserve this either. Maybe you’ll even grow to miss his smelly sweat. Okay, no you won’t. 

You approach Equius’ body and close his eyes with a brush of your fingertips. It smells like he was choked to death. As for Nepeta...it doesn’t take much to find her cause of death: blunt force trauma. Her head is caved in, and the sight (scent) is so grotesque that you pinch your nose to block the image. You retrieve your dragon cape from your sylladex and lay it over her body. You’ll come back for it when you have the time to give them a proper burial. Even though you’re on a meteor. And trolls don’t have funerals. What’s a funeral? 

The sound of footsteps that is not your own reaches your ears. You wrap your fingers around your cane as you try to pinpoint the source. You don’t have much luck, as you’re currently up to your head in the smell of death, but you’re in no fighting shape anyway. You scroll through possible solutions in your head, including pretending to be dead and throwing yourself at them to catch them by surprise. You choose the former, but before you can start smearing yourself in Nepeta’s blood (you THINK you could probably pass for a greenblood,) the intruder reveals himself. 

It’s just an anxious Karkat. You sigh in relief. 

“ Fucking FINALLY, Terezi, there you--wait, what are you doing? “

You wipe your olive coated gloves on Equius’ shirt. “ Nothing. “ 

Karkat is momentarily silent as he takes in the scene before him. He then runs his fingers through his mangy hair and releases a shaky breath.

“ Shit. He already got them? Fuck. FUCK. Did you see him? “

“ No. They were like this when I found them. You’re the first living person I’ve se-- “

“ WAIT! Are those bandages? What happened to you? Why are you wearing that? Who hurt you? Are you okay? It was Gamzee wasn’t it? I’m going to fucking kill him. “ 

“ You’re ranting again. “

“ Well of fucking COURSE I’m ranting! We have reached a new record on how fast things can turn to shit. Because it reached shit,” Karkat snaps his fingers for emphasis. “ _That_ fast. “

“ That is quite fast. “

“ I fucking know!!! “ 

He’s in front of you now, and you feel slightly awkward as he looks you up in down. No doubt just to see the extent of the damage, but it’s uncomfortable anyway. You cough. 

“ What happened to you, Terezi? “ 

“ Long story. But don’t worry, I’m fine. Where’s Sollux? Isn’t he supposed to be with you? “

At the sound of Sollux’s name, Karkat’s expression quickly switches from worry to irritation. Irritation is the usual display for him. 

“ That dumbass insisted we split up; I look for you while he looks for Kanaya. “ 

“ That is... “

“ Stupid, I know. But he said we’d find everyone faster if we did. Anyway, I found you, so let’s get the fuck out of here. Can you walk? “

“ I managed to get this far, didn’t I? “ 

“ Good point. “ 

You last three minutes. Your side is throbbing, and your bandages slowly become damp as your cut reopens. You pretend it doesn’t hurt while Karkat throws you troubled glances, and you reluctantly agree when he offers to carry your items for you. 

“ Do you want to take a break? “ He asks.

“ No. I’m fine. “ 

It’s obvious he doesn’t believe you, but he keeps walking anyway. A couple more minutes go by. You’re panting by now, and relish in the quick moments that Karkat takes to peek around the corner. 

You huff. “ Are we there yet? “

“ No. “

“ Are you sure? “

You smell him giving you a look. 

“ Alright, alright, just asking. “ 

“ Do you want to stop? It’s okay if you do. “

“ ...Fine. I guess. “ 

Despite your hesitant response, you waste no time sitting down and leaning against the wall. Karkat does the same on the opposite side, his gaze not leaving you for a second. A lot of trolls think that you can’t see that they’re staring, but you can. You can feel it. He hands you Pyralspite and you hug it close. The scalemate never fails to calm your nerves. 

Silence. You decide to break it.

“ So...Gamzee, huh? “

Karkat nods. You pretend you can’t tell just to fuck with him. He notices your lack of response and clears his throat. 

“ Uh, yeah. Gamzee. Shit sucks. “ 

“ Wasn’t he your best friend? “ 

“ I mean, “ His fingers drum against your cane. “ Maybe. I think so. I couldn’t stand him at times, but that applies to everyone...almost everyone. “ 

“ It must suck losing your moirail. “

Karkat scoffs. “ He is NOT my moirail. “ 

You raise an eyebrow at him. 

“ Okay, maybe he thought of me as his moirail, but it was never official or anything. And I don’t think listening to me yell all the time counts as moirail behavior on his part. “

“ You’re right, everyone listens to you yelling all the time! “

“ Fuck you. “ 

His words are light and playful, and you think he might be smiling. Regardless of your current state, you let yourself laugh. You miss fucking around with your friends. You miss fucking around with him. Karkat was right, it’s unbelievable how fast things can turn to hell. The weight of the situation returns, and both of your smiles fade. 

“ We should start walking. “ 

“ Are you well enough to? “

“ Yeah, let’s go. “ 

* * *

Luckily, you two weren’t far from the agreed meeting place: the computer room. You tell Karkat that it’s a pretty shitty meeting place, that it’s too obvious. He says that it was Sollux’s idea. You ask him if it really was. He says no.

You aren’t surprised at all when you find Feferi’s body. At this point, you’re expecting the bodies. For all you know, you and Karkat could be the last living trolls on the meteor. You really hope that’s not the case. Who will stitch up your scalemates if Kanaya is dead? 

You also aren’t surprised to discover that neither Sollux nor Kanaya are there. 

“ I’m sure they’re fine. They’ll be here any minute now. “

You can hear the doubt and fear in Karkat’s voice. You don’t say anything. You’re just as doubtful and scared as he is. 

Karkat checks his phone three times in one minute. You sway back and forth on your heels. He starts tapping his foot. You circle your thumb on the head of your cane. 

Silence. You don’t break it this time. He does.

“ We should probably look for them. “

“ Definitely. “ 

“ If either of them are dead I’m going to kill them. “

Karkat speedwalks out of the room, remembers you’re injured, walks back to you, just to end up walking ahead again, remember you, stop again, and etc. It repeats several times. It annoys the hell out of you, but simply walking burns up all of your energy, so you don’t complain. An aura of apprehension becomes thicker and thicker as the two of you search. You aren’t having much luck finding them, but you haven’t found their dead bodies either. It gives you hope that they’re still alive. Karkat is becoming worse and worse regarding his volume. His steps are heavier, and his breathing is erratic. Then he starts to swear under his breath, and doesn’t stop.

“ Karkat? “ 

He spins around to look at you, eyes wide as if you just screamed. “ What!? Are you okay? “

You roll your eyes. No one has been able to tell when you do since your pupils were burned out. It’s the worst part about being blind.

“ Yes, but you are trampling through the halls like a hoofbeast. You’re giving us away! “ 

“ Maybe Gamzee’s secretly afraid of hoofbeasts and it’s actually protecting us. “

“ Karkat, I think _you’re_ afraid of hoofbeasts. “ 

“ Yeah, well, anyone sensible would be!! They’re fucking HUGE! And have you seen their pe-- “

The harsh sound of something being dragged against the floor interrupts him. You both freeze and fall silent. 

“ (DID YOU HEAR THAT?) “

“ (Do you think that’s whispering?!) “

“ (OH, SORRY. _Did you hear that?_ ) “

“ (No, I guess I’m deaf as well as blind!) “

“ ( _You motherfuck!_ ) “ 

The lugging sound pierces your eardrums again, louder this time. The two of you shut up and stare into the darkness. Karkat stands in front of you so he can shield you from whatever’s coming. You poke him in the ass with your cane. He flips you off. 

You’re actually _hoping_ it’s Gamzee, as bizarre as that sounds. You and Karkat stand a chance against Gamzee. You doubt that Kanaya or Sollux would intentionally make that much noise, so that leaves two options. Gamzee or Jackass. Oops, you mean Jack Nook-licker. Oops, you mean Jack Noir. Yeah. You giggle to yourself. You hear Karkat whisper _what the fuck_?

You’re suddenly hit with the scent of grape jelly, and you’re relieved and terrified at the same time. His candy corn horns pierce the light first, then his scruffy black hair, and you wrinkle your nose at his facepaint. It smells like white chalk, and that’s your least favorite flavor. 

Gamzee’s face is shrouded by his facepaint and purple blood. You don’t need to see it anyway, you’re sure it’s nice and horrifying. He’s holding a bloody club in one hand, the tip of it touching the floor. That explains the sound. 

Karkat starts talking with him. You nod with approval. One must try to neutralize the threat with words before using physical force. 

“ Gamzee! Hey, bro, I was just wondering uhhhh, what the FUCK are you doing!? “ 

Gamzee says nothing, and just stares like a doofus. Or like a serial killer. A mix of both, perhaps. You notice Nepeta's blood on his club, and it clicks in your head. Blunt-force trauma.

Now you're furious. 

You step forward, grabbing your cane from Karkat. He sticks his arm out in front of you, and shakes his head. You allow him to stop you, but your thumb remains under the head of your cane, ready to unsheathe it at a moments notice. You throw a vexed glare in Gamzee's direction. You hope it meets his eyes. 

“ Listen, “ Karkat continues, “ why don’t we just calm down...I know, it’s wild coming from me, but, we can just sit down and talk this through. So if you could just let go of the club, and... “

Gamzee must sense it the second you do, because as soon as the stench hits you, he steps back, drops the club, and bolts. 

Karkat is dumbfounded. “ Wow. That was easier than I thought. Did you see that, Terezi? I must be pretty intimidating! “ 

You aren’t paying attention to him. Instead, you’re frozen, hoping with each intake that the smell will disappear. That it’s just paranoia, and you’re imagining it. 

The stench of barkbeast.

It doesn't go away. The odor of wet barkbeast, black licorice, and corpses mix together assault your nose. You gag, and Karkat turns around to look at you. 

“ Terezi? What’s wrong? “ 

His eyes search the gloom over your shoulder, and you hear his breath hitch. You don’t bother turning around. The indolence of _his_ presence surrounds you. 

“ Uh, Terezi? “

“ I know. “

The air shifts as wings adjust, and the shriek of steel against carapace nearly stuns you. Karkat isn’t breathing. 

“ Fuck, “ you say, “ He smells even worse in person. “ 

You barely hear Karkat telling you to run over the screeching howl that bellows behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while my family members were shouting right next to me. I think the chapter turned out well, nonetheless.
> 
> Also, if you're reading this, that means you like the story enough to read this far, so let me know what you think in the comments! Im really curious about your thoughts and opinions!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter from quite a few different characters, so I've decided to color their text so you always know who's talking! Just in case it gets confusing. C:

TEREZI (CONTINUED)

Karkat seized your arm (your BAD arm), ripping you out of your dazed state and tugging you along with him as he runs. Pain strikes your shoulder and courses through your body like lightning. You open your mouth to yell, but instead choke as Jack’s miasma fills your mouth. It tastes like something rotten. If you and him get out of this alive, you think you’ll rip up his arm to see how he likes it. 

You feel the breeze generated by Jack’s swinging blade hit your back. Your senses are clogged with his reek and the lacking perception turns your panic into terror. You’re going to have to trust Karkat not to slam you against something while the two of you sprint. Not that you really have a choice, since his hand holding your wrist is the only beacon of direction you have. All you can feel is Karkat’s steel grip and that demon’s hot breath on your heels. 

The sharp corners and weaving hallways force Jack to slow down in order to turn without ramming into the wall. That, along with Karkat’s memorization of the halls in this meteor, is no doubt your saving grace. There is no way the two of you are faster than Jack at his full speed, and if you were running straight, he’d be on top of you within a second. 

You, like Jack, don’t have the lab mapped out. So whenever Karkat makes a turn without warning, your side is clipped by the corner, or you straight up crash. You have no time to recover, and you’d probably collapse from fatigue if it weren’t for Mr. Nubs dragging you. However, that fact, along with Karkat’s “ SORRY! ” every time you hit the wall do little to make you want to kill him less. 

You know how people say that sometimes fear is so strong, you can’t feel any pain? Yeah, that’s bullshit. Because you are scared out of your bloody boots and can still feel your every cell throbbing. 

You stumble, forcing Karkat to literally drag you for the time span of three “ OH SHIT’s “ until you find your footing. It was all the time Jack needed to catch up. 

Not only is he more stinky up close, but his head is fucking huge. You do not remember it being that big. At the same time, you’ve never been this close to him. He could probably fit your whole head in his mouth. The thought steals your breath away.

You’re not the screaming type. You’re the type to squeeze your eyes shut, accepting your death with at least an ounce of pride and hoping it’ll be over quick. 

Karkat is the screaming type. One glance over his shoulder and suddenly he erupted in a chorus of swearing and shrieks. You don’t blame him, and you don’t worry about becoming deaf since you’re about to die anyway. You wonder how he can scream so much and breathe at the same time. 

Jack extends his furry neck and locks his jaw around your boot. The red rubber is no match against his sinking teeth. Your first thought is _what a fucking moron_. He has a long-ass sword and decides to bite you instead. Barkbeasts are fucking stupid. Or maybe it’s just Jack. His bite forces both you and Karkat to a very painful (mostly for you) stop. Karkat falls on his face a couple feet ahead of you while you play footsies with Jack, except his foot is actually his teeth so it’s not that fun. 

Your second thought is that you change your mind about dying. You don’t want to die yet. Fuck pride, fuck Jack Noir, and fuck death! 

So you scream. It’s high pitched, girly, and embarrassing as fuck. At the moment, you don’t care. Later, you will deny it happened. You kick his snout with your free foot, but it does little to nothing. Your boot finally comes off in his mouth, and Jack tears it apart. Karkat is now standing, scythes out like an idiot, and you want to tell him to run but you’re frozen like a pathetic piece of prey. Jack already has his sword raised, his glacial eyes locked on you, and it’s futile to run--

Your third and final thought is you wondering if this is what your FLARP enemies felt as they were dragged before Vriska’s lusus, sweeps ago. Knowing that there was no hope in resisting while they stared death in the eye. 

What goes around comes around, you suppose. 

A blade does come down, but it’s not Jack’s. It smells of blueberries and ice. A refreshing change of scent after the constant cascade of black licorice and wet barkbeast. The blade cleaves through Jack’s left wing, and he howls in agony. Spurts of cherry blood emerge from the severed stump, and for a terrifying second you think it’s Karkat’s. Then you feel his hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you to your feet while Jack turns toward his new distraction. 

You take a whiff, and relief explodes inside of you as you smell your knight in blue armor. Not as nice as citrusy orange, but it’s just as relieving. 

You want to cry, and you think you do a little bit. You’re not sure if the tears are from reassurance that you’re alive, or of joy from seeing Vriska. You don’t even care if she sees you crying. You’re just so fucking glad and you’re smiling. 

“ Fucking FINALLY. “ Karkat starts, and you’re afraid that it will return Jack’s attention to you, but his focus is completely on Vriska, kind of like yours. “ What took you so LONG?! “

Vriska is panting, staring down at the bloody black wing, now separated from Noir’s body. She prods at it with the tip of her shoe. 

“ Uh, he’s fast. “ Vriska states simply. 

“ Yeah, NO SHIT. “

“ That’s no way to address your savior, Karkat. “ 

“ Vriska, if you can beat this ASSHOLE I will take back everything mean I’ve ever said about you. Maybe. “ 

Vriska rolls her eyes. “ Wow, that’s so kind of you. But, what kind of hero would I be if I didn’t protect my friends in times of danger? “

You weakly flip her off. She returns it with enthusiasm. 

Jack stops mulling over his missing wing, and barks threateningly at Vriska. Vriska stops looking at you to observe Jack, and she raises her sword, preparing for an attack.

“ Karkat, get yourself and Terezi out of here! I’ll handle Jack. “

Wait, what?

“ Don’t gotta tell me twice! “ Karkat hooks his arms under your armpits, and starts hauling you. “ C’mon, Terezi. “

“ No. “ You say, then again, louder. You almost lost Vriska to Jack once, you’re not going to walk away and risk it happening again. You start to struggle. 

“ I can fight! Let go, Karkat! “

“ Are you fucking insane? You can’t even stand on your own! “ 

You hear Noir’s paws kick off the ground, followed by the sound of steel clashing together. 

“ Please, please let go. “ Your weak struggling doesn’t do much. Karkat’s hold on you doesn’t falter at all. You hear him apologize, and then heaves you onto his back, holding your legs for support. Your arms wrap around his neck and you consider choking him, but you don’t want anyone else to die. You’re so tired of death. 

The tears that run down your cheek are no longer from relief, or joy.

* * *

Time becomes lost to you while Karkat carries you. It feels like it was minutes ago that you saw Vriska, but it also feels like it’s been hours. You’re waiting for Jack to appear again, covered head to toe in cobalt blood, but he doesn’t come. Not yet, at least. Karkat must be thinking the same thing, because he frequently checks over his shoulder. The walk has been completely silent, until you choose to start complaining. 

“ You’re a dumpass. “

“ Yeah, yeah. “

“ I could have fought with her. “

“ No, you couldn’t. “ 

He’s right of course, but you’re mad that he’s right, so you remain headstrong like a wriggler. 

“ Yes, I could’ve. “

“ No. “

“ Yes. “

“ No. “

“ Yes. “ 

“ No. “

“ Yeah, well you smell like expired grub sauce. “

“ You scream like Tavros when he saw his legs severed for the first time. “ 

“ You take that back! “ 

“ Hmm...Nah. “ 

You tug sharply on his ear, making him yelp. 

“ Ow! Alright, fucking damn-- "

A door abruptly swings open in front of Karkat, smacking him in the nose. _That_ made him drop you. You fall on your ass, and it hurts, but you’re too busy giggling to mind. Karkat’s cupping his face, and cussing into his palms. Kanaya peeks around the door, eyes widening when she sees you both. She steps out. 

“ Oh, oh my. I am so sorry, Karkat. I heard footsteps, and thought you might be Jack or Gamzee. “ 

Karkat’s red blood trickles from his nose. “ So you hit me with a door!? “

“ The idea was to knock out whoever it was. “ 

“ Even if there was a chance it was one of us? “

“ It was a risk Sollux and I deemed necessary. “ 

Sollux speaks in a fierce whisper before Karkat gets the chance to whine. 

“ Will you guys shut up and get inside? You know, out of the fucking hallway? “ 

Kanaya helps you up, immediately fussing over you and your wounds when you enter the room. It’s a small room, probably for storage. But the only thing stored in it so far is four frightened trolls. Sollux is sitting on the ground with a headset, trying to reach anyone else who might be alive. You sit down next to him, legs crossed and hands neatly folded in your lap. Sollux gives you a look over. 

“ Who threw you through a black bean grinder? “

“ Vriska, mostly. “ 

“ Ah, I was wondering when you two would pursue a kismesiship. “

“ It’s not like that-- “ 

“ YEAH, Sollux. “ Karkat plops down next to you. “ Keep your creepy fantasies to yourself. “ 

“ Oh please, everyone knows you fantasize over Tere-- ” 

“ Anyway! “ Kanaya is sitting before the three of you, giving Sollux a stern look. “ We shouldn’t waste any time forming an escape plan. We’re sitting quackbeasts in this room. “ 

“ How did you guys figure out Jack was here? “ 

“ I’m sure his howling could be heard from anywhere in the medium. “ 

“ She’s right. “ Karkat says, suddenly entering leader mode. “ Vriska is holding off Jack Noir right now, and her sacrifice can’t be for nothing. “ 

You turn and shoot him a smoldering glare. “ Sacrifice? We don’t know for sure she’s going to lose. Which is why we should be helping her, instead of hiding in a cramped closet! “ 

“ What? “ Sollux lifts one of the cups off his ear. “ Did I hear that right? Is she fucking stupid? “ 

“ Stupid, yes, but she’s doing more than any of us right now! “ 

“ There are two solutions we have to choose from, then. “ You stop snarling at Sollux to look at her. 

“ Either we use the time Vriska’s buying for us to escape, or we stay here and fight with her. “ 

“ Isn’t the answer obvious? We stay and fight! “ 

“ But what if we aren’t strong enough, even with all of us working together? The future of trollkind is depending on our survival! “ 

“ But what if we are? “ 

“ Are you willing to take that risk? “ 

_For Vriska, yes._ You keep your mouth shut, biting your tongue in frustration. 

Karkat claps his hands together. “  Alright, we’ll do a vote. “ 

“ There’s only four of us, dipshit. “ 

Karkat ignores him. “ All in favor of looking for an escape route? “ 

No one raises their hand. 

“ Okaaaay...all in favor of fighting with Vriska? ” 

Nothing. 

“ Y’know, guys, the whole point of voting, is that you fucking VOTE. “ 

“ I don’t think anyone wants to make this decision. “ 

Karkat sighs, and roughly rubs his eyes. “ Alright...I guess I’ll have to decide. “ 

“ How about, no, “ It takes a lot of effort, but you manage to get to your feet without falling over. You wish you still had both boots. The floor is freezing. “ You guys can do whatever you want, but I’m going to fight. “ 

Karkat scuffles to stand up as you open the door. “ You are in no shape to fight, and you KNOW that! “ 

“ I don’t care. “ You snatch up your cane and step out into the hallway. It is silent and empty. You start walking the way you came, sliding your cane against the floor. Kanaya has a point. Vriska is strong, but you’re not sure if she’s stronger than Jack. You could be walking straight into your doom, but it doesn’t matter. Vriska is totally trying to one-up you with her heroic act. What kind of rival would you be if you didn’t fight by her? Footsteps echo behind you. 

" Wait. “ 

You can’t stop me, Karkat. “ He probably could. Your knees are shaking with exertion. 

“ I know, I’m going with you. “ 

Kanaya appears by his shoulder, Sollux behind her, grumbling to himself. 

“ As are we. “ 

“ I thought you didn’t want to risk our extinction? “ 

“ I don’t. But I’m not letting my friends fight such a monstrosity alone. “ 

“ But you said-- ” 

“ I think we’re all done with pretending this wasn’t the choice we were going to make in the end. Face it, we’re a bunch of suckers. “ 

You really are a sucker, because you can’t stop the smile that creeps onto your face. Friendship is just an emotion you can’t suppress. 

" Yes, how touching; we’re all suicidal for each other. Can we get this over with now? “ 

“ Yes! “ You spin on your heels and start walking with more vigor, the pain of your wounds receding somewhat as new determination floods your veins. 

“ You’re going the wrong way. “ 

“ Oh. “ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The colored texts will most likely only be a thing during chapters with a lot of varied dialogue, because as anyone who's written pesterlogs on Archive would know, coding the colors is a bitch.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Insert Battle Music Here ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az71j7AvBuQ

VRISKA

You see a door ripped from its hinges as proof of Jack’s entrance, but that’s about as far as you get. For such a violent guy, he doesn’t leave much of a trail. But you suppose that’s a good thing; rather have no trail than a trail of your friends’ blood. However, if you don’t encounter him soon, you’ll end up finding just that. 

Your sword weighs heavy in its scabbard, one hand on its hilt in case you turn a corner and it’s _THE_ corner. But each turn so far gives you nothing but emptiness, and after a few minutes you begin to panic. What if you’re lost in this stupid meteor? What if you’re too late? What if your friends are already dead?

Okay, stop right there. You refuse to let any of that happen. It’s not like you to fret over the ‘what if’s.’ That’s Terezi’s job, and she’s a lot better at it than you. 

And speaking of Terezi; you are really starting to hate yourself for what you did to her. First, you beat her into a pulp until she can barely move. And then, you lead Jack right to her? When she can’t even fend for herself? If you weren’t in a hurry to find that winged lunatic, you’d be hitting your head against the wall until your utter stupidity was knocked out of you. She warned you, asshole. And you didn’t listen, you never listen. You don’t deserve her forgiveness, you know that. But you’ll ask anyway. You can’t help yourself. 

If both of you survive this, that is. 

You take a deep breath to soothe your apprehension. It doesn’t really work, but at least you tried. Everyone is okay, you have to believe that they’re okay. Because if you believe in something hard enough, then it becomes a little more real, right? 

Suddenly, as if the universe decided to say ‘yeah right, fuck you,’ you hear a scream that resonates within the halls. It was a shriek spiked with such terror, it runs chills down your spine and you squeeze the hilt of your sword until your knuckles turn pale. It was close. 

Two seconds since you heard the scream.

Now you’re kicking open every door you come across, hoping you’ll find the source, or the noise will divert Noir’s attention to you. But every room you enter is filled with nothing but your own growing despair. 

Eight seconds. 

You almost want to call out, ‘ Hey, could you shout again for me? I’m having trouble locating you. ‘ But you know that by the time you get the last syllable out, they’d already be dead.

Eleven seconds. 

Your own feet are slowing you down, so you let your wings do all the work. You underestimate the width of your wings, and the edges crease uncomfortably every time you fly through a corridor. You make a final turn, your right wing raking the wall until it looks like an unfolded piece of origami. 

It isn’t until you’re nearly on top of Jack that your brain registers what you’re seeing. His blade is risen far above his head as if he’s pointing to the heavens. He doesn’t notice you, not yet at least, because he’s too busy preparing to cleave a troll in two. 

His black steel is now a second away from striking its target, but a half of a second is all you need. You draw your sword from its sheath with all the strength you can muster, creating a deadly arch that carves Jack’s wing in a single slice. His sword halts in its path as he releases a guttural screech that sounds like a cross between a barkbeast howling and an adult troll wailing. The sound hammers at your eardrums and you’re momentarily frozen with shock. But then your eyes land on Terezi, sitting shoeless on the floor, and looking just as surprised as you are. Was it her who screamed? No, that’s not like her. You and her have seen some shit in your FLARPing days, and not once did you hear her shriek. Your eyes snap up to look at the sudden movement behind her, but you relax when you realize it’s just Karkat. It was probably him who screamed. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. 

Your gaze returns to Terezi, who’s suddenly smiling in your direction. It makes your heart stutter like a broken engine. Why is she smiling at someone who nearly killed her? 

_She’s smiling because she didn’t die, dumbass. She can’t even see you._

You feel like shit again. But you don’t have much time to stand around in self-pity, because Noir’s recovering from his sudden amputation and turning towards you. He looks a lot less intimidating without one of his wings, which made up a third of his size. Without either, you bet he’d be nothing more than a mangy, irritable barkbeast with anger issues. But you know better than to lower your guard, even if he’s only 2/3rds as scary as before. 

His wing landed uncomfortably close to you, swimming in a pool of red blood. You’ve never seen blood that was such a bright red. You poke at it with your foot, half expecting it to twitch. It doesn’t. If Jack’s howling didn’t give you a bad enough headache, Karkat’s yelling sure does. 

“ Fucking FINALLY. What took you so LONG!? “

What an ungrateful little shit. Here you are, out of breath, saving them from a psychotic chess piece, and he has the nerve to be himself. 

“ Uh, he’s fast. “ 

“ Yeah, NO SHIT. “

“ That’s no way to address your savior, Karkat. “ 

You hope Terezi heard that line. It was pretty cool, you think. She’s just flipping you off, but you take it as a good sign. You show her your middle finger in return, smiling smugly like you just won a bet. Friends flip each other off all the time, right? 

Jack isn’t impressed. You probably should have pounced on him immediately after you wounded him instead of having a subtle feelings jam, but hey, those are unpredictable. He starts barking, which annoys you more than it scares you. Ever since he put on that ring, all he does is bark. And stab, but he did that before too. Talk about a real downgrade regarding brain size. 

“ Karkat, get yourself and Terezi out of here! I’ll handle Jack.“

Karkat looks more than happy to oblige. Terezi, on the other hand, looks devastated. You wish you could know what she’s thinking. Jack gives you no more time to ponder the topic as he springs at you. You have plenty of time to block; his missing wing must be slowing him down. But his strength hasn’t changed at all, and you find yourself gritting your teeth while your muscles strain to keep him off of you. 

You look over his shoulder. Terezi and Karkat are gone. Good, now you can fight without any liabilities. Giving Jack only half of your attention was a mistake. He separates your blade from his, putting distance between the two of you before twisting his body and slamming his wing against you. It must have carapace beneath all the black feathers, because it feels like getting hit by a boulder. You land hard, but waste no time getting back on your feet. Jack doesn’t waste any time either. He starts jabbing at your head, pummeling the air around you with the tip of his sword. He’s unusually far off from piercing your skull, and it briefly reminds you of your battle with Terezi. You realize too late that he isn’t aiming for your head at all; he’s going for your wings. 

The blade easily punctures your wing like scissors cutting paper, and although you can’t feel it, you still flinch as he drags his sword down through it. He leaves a large gash in the delicate scales and throws you off balance. You dig your sword into the floor to steady yourself; another mistake. You have no choice but to lift your arm to take the blow, and it does with a fountain of blue blood. The blade only goes a third of the way through, thanks to the cloth armor summoned by Ancestral Awakening. Who knew you could be well protected and fashionable at the same time? 

Along with your special attire, you are also gifted with quick regeneration. Well, quick enough to not bleed to death after cutting a large artery, but not fast enough to take every one of Jack’s blows without getting killed. Your wound has barely closed before he opens up another one across your abdomen. Not as deep as the other, but it still stings like hell.

His sword is lighter and faster. But yours is heavier and therefore stronger. If you don’t switch from defensive to offensive ASAP, you’re going to end up as a pin cushion. 

After deflecting another stab, you bombard him with heavy swings and blows. He blocks every one of them, but you’re exerting enough force to push him back with every hit. The constant battering is exhausting, but every time you get an eyeful of his gleaming yellow teeth and his sword encrusted with dried blood, a peculiar fire detonates inside of you and burns away your fatigue. You’d rather have ruptured muscles than new blood drying in Jack’s fur.

You swing your sword down from above your head, plunging your steel through Jack’s defense and making him recoil. And for the first time since you started this fight, you see an opening. 

With an extra push from your damaged wings, you drive your blade right past Jack’s and penetrate the carapace that covers his chest. He howls, and once again the awful noise assaults your ears and makes you wince. 

Then he does something you never could have predicted. He lets go of his weapon, letting it clatter on the floor, and wraps his armored fingers around yours. You attempt to tug it free, and he lets it slide out of his torso, but no further than that. He has an iron grip on the blade, and despite him only having one arm, you feel defenseless and vulnerable. Then he yanks your sword towards him, but you don’t let go of the hilt. You regret it instantly as you’re jerked far too close to him. If you let go, he’ll have your weapon. But if you don’t-- 

You find the answer to that immediately. Jack dips his head and sinks his teeth right through your armor and into your collar bone, tearing your skin with ease. A waterfall of cobalt blood gushes from the wound. It’s your turn to scream this time, and you do. The sound of your own voice is foreign to you. You’re not used to being in this much pain. You’re not used to losing. 

You let go of your sword, something you should have done in the first place, and rip yourself away from his mouth. It hurts more than the initial bite. The onslaught of the pain disorients you, but there’s no way that you’ll stay still and give Jack the opening he’s looking for. 

It takes an agonizing amount of concentration, but you evade his slash with a somersault under his reach. You land right next to his dropped sword, which you totally didn’t plan, but you’re going to pretend you did. You snatch it just in time to stop yourself from being lacerated by your own sword. His blade has a much different feel to it than your own, and you dislike it, but you’re going to have to get used to it quickly if you want a chance at winning. 

The two of you start to dance once more, and the attacks from both sides is almost rhythmic. Almost. Jack wields your blade like its been his all along, but his feels like an unbalanced club in your hands. It triggers a memory of you and Terezi; you were dueling with one half of her cane, while she had the other. She completely kicked your ass. 

_Why does everything have to remind you of her?_

The memories dull your perspicacity, and you’re unprepared for the clout that strikes the black blade with so much force you think it’ll shatter. But it doesn’t; instead, it completely knocks the sword out of your grip. It lands who-knows-where but it doesn’t matter because if it’s not in your hand, then it’s too far away to save you. 

You truly never thought you’d be in this position, so you’re not quite sure what to do. The idea of losing crossed your mind of course, but you refused to accept it. You refused to consider it a possibility. And now you’re paying the price. 

In an ironic kind of way, you think you deserve it. 

Jack lifts his blade--no, your blade, but it doesn’t come down. And no, it’s not because someone heroically intervened and cut off Jack’s remaining wing. It’s because someone with stubby horns and stupid scythes tripped on his own shoelaces and fell onto the floor with a loud _WHOMP!_ At least he didn’t let go of his weapons. That would be a whole new level of pathetic. 

And, for fucks sake, Terezi’s behind him. She gives you a wave. She just fucking waves like there isn’t a cold blooded killer between you and her. And you want to grab her and shake her until she understands how stupid she was to come back. 

“ Karkat, “ you cough, “ Do you not understand what ‘get the fuck out of here’ means!? “ 

“ In my defense, Terezi made me. “

You stare at him in disbelief.

“ M-made you--what the fuck do you mean she MADE you!? She can barely walk and she _made_ you come back? It’s called a backbone, Karkat, do you have one!? “ 

Karkat doesn’t reply to that. He just has a sheepish look on his face that tells you the answer is ‘ no. ’ 

Jack is eyeing them, deciding the level of danger they pose. 

In your opinion, it’s not much, until you hear a chainsaw buzzing. Normally, that sound would make you break out in a cold sweat, but right now it’s music to your ears. 

If you were to compare Jack Noir and Kanaya with a chainsaw in how threatening they are, Kanaya would probably win. Terezi flattens herself against the wall, a smart move, while Kanaya sprints past her and jumps over Karkat like she’s playing a very intense game of leap croak-beast. You don’t think Jack was expecting a troll with a chainsaw to throw herself at him, because he reacts far too late to stop Kanaya from shredding through his remaining wing. And she does, violently. You have to move to the side to avoid the heavy rainstorm of his blood, and his yowl of pain is the thunder. 

If you could marry that chainsaw this second, you would. 

Hope flares in your chest, and you almost want to laugh. Kanaya lands, nearly slipping on his blood but managing to stand her ground. Karkat is on his feet once more and places himself beside Kanaya, ready to back her up at a moment’s notice. The cherry is finally placed atop the cake when Sollux comes into view looking irritated, but he’s an irritated, powerful, and psionic troll, so you’re happy to see him. 

But your hope is quickly extinguished as Jack completely disregards the others and turns back towards you. Maybe he learned his lesson about turning his back on wounded foes, or maybe he wanted just one last kill before he flees. 

It doesn’t matter either way, because both choices lead to you hearing a painfully distressed _NO!_ before your own sword is driven through your chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently, butterfly wings are made up of thousands of minuscule scales! Butterflies also can't feel pain like humans do.   
> And if anyone's wondering why Jack didn't use his teleportation power during the battle, I kind of figured that he was in too small of a space to do so? Or plot convenience. It's probably the former. Probably.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like a boatload of angst and feelings to start the new year. 
> 
> and Happy New Year to everyone reading this!

TEREZI

You were so sure your nose was lying to you. You lost a lot of blood, maybe you were delirious. The sword was so close in color to the cobalt blood, it seemed as if it was melting when Jack pulled it out. The sword dripped like a brush dipped in grub paint, but it never lost its shape. Vriska, however, did. She crumpled to the ground while you tasted the revolting green that her blood and the orange of her attire created. Your senses painted such an ugly picture before you. You bit down on your tongue until teal flooded your mouth, hoping it would wipe out the verdant flavor. It just made you cough and sputter, and Sollux had to hold you back while you attempted to charge at the wingless cretin. 

You had considered Vriska’s death before. Before your battle with her, you were trying to come to terms with the fact that you might have to kill her. You thought you had. Despite your loss, you thought you could do it if you had to. 

You’ve never been more wrong. 

Smelling your friend, or kismesis (?), or who the fuck cares, gasp as steel ripped through her lungs felt as if you were being stabbed, too. And when Vriska collapsed, and proceeded to die by drowning in her own blood, you were ripped in half. Your soul was torn in two, and for the first time since you became blind, you saw color. You saw the igneous scarlet rage that enveloped your previously dark vision. You pretended it was Jack’s blood. 

Kanaya had the same idea as you, swinging her chainsaw after being momentarily astonished by Vriska’s stabbing. It would have been the final blow, if Jack hadn’t disappeared with a green flicker and reappeared behind her. Kanaya easily deflected his slash, and Karkat wasted no time jumping in at the rebound. His scythe sunk an inch deep in Noir’s plated back before his molecules dispersed once more. 

He didn’t appear again that time. He must have wagered his chances in his current state, saw that they were low, and fled. But without his wings, he cannot get off this meteor. 

It’s been two weeks since Vriska died. Two weeks since you all started your search for Jack Noir. He has yet to be found.

There are four of you remaining. Gamzee not included, since he disappeared along with Jack somewhere in the meteor. You suggested that he and Jack were probably bonding over their love for murder. Karkat gave a weak laugh at that, saw you were serious, and shut his mouth. You were surprised to find Eridan in two pieces on the upper deck, and you turned to Sollux and Kanaya. Kanaya just gave you a smile that sent chills down your spine, and Sollux said, “ He had it comin’. “ You stayed by his body for a while to enjoy the grapey scent. Sollux noticed you sniffing the body, and called you a “ fucking weirdo. “ 

During the first week, you avoided Vriska’s body completely. You avoided all the corpses, actually. You were still in denial, and as long as you didn’t smell them on a daily basis, you could pretend that it was all just a bad dream every time you woke up. Several times you wanted to walk alone and cry, but you knew better than to walk around by yourself, so you just bottled it all up. You shoved a cork in it and tossed it into the abyss. Kanaya attempted to have a feelings jam with you a couple of times, but you turned her down. You have nothing to talk about.

The four of you split into two groups to search the laboratory. Karkat had reckoned that in Jack’s weakened state, and without his wings, him and the others would all be enough to handle him. Karkat explained to you that you should stay and rest while the others hunted the murderous duo. You just laughed in his face. As if you’d let them have all the glory of cutting those bastards down. You also called him stupid; leaving you alone and weakened is downright beckoning for Jack to appear and finish you off. He seemed pretty embarrassed when you pointed that out. 

But no one was found the first week. By the second, everyone was unnerved as hell and sleepless. Your wounds were almost completely healed, but sleep deprivation succeeded at nerfing you. Dark circles under your eyes became the new fashion trend. Kanaya suggested that all of you sleep in shifts; one watches for Jack while the others sleep. 

It was a smart plan, but didn’t turn out as expected when put into action. Everyone offered to be on watch first, because no one could sleep. Karkat eventually won that dispute, and you hunkered down in the lounge. During the first night, hours went by but you couldn’t be bothered to close your eyes. Karkat scolded you when he saw you were awake, but then he saw that Kanaya and Sollux were awake as well, and let his words drop. You spent the rest of the night showing them videos that Dave had sent you. 

The Sarcastic Siblings™ and Aradia arrived near the middle of that week. As thrilled as you were to finally meet them and see Aradia again, your grief dulled the experience. Dave was obviously disturbed when you caught him up on recent events, though he tried to play it cool. Rose listened to you thoughtfully and nodded as you spoke, like she was analyzing your every word. Aradia was sorrowful when she heard the news, and when you finished, she hugged you. You don’t think you were ready to be touched, but you knew she was grieving too, so you hugged her back. You were numb while you repeated the story to the three of them, as if that’s all it was: a story. Not real. You didn’t mention Jack. Karkat did that for you. 

And he did it so casually that Rose and Dave thought he was joking at first. 

“ Oh, and Jack’s here on the meteor with us. He can’t fly anymore and is hiding somewhere, so be careful. No one can go to the load gaper alone. Okay? “ 

Aradia believed him immediately, but found it amusing and laughed. Dave saw that as a mistaken hint to laugh and joined in. Rose narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher whether Karkat was kidding or not. She wasn’t happy when she found out he hadn’t been. 

Their arrival still brought reassurance, though. Three more people to fend off Jack if he appears, and those three happen to be godtiers. You try not to think about someone who also reached godtier. 

All of that leads up to today, two days into the third week. You’re curled up on the couch, sipping some black bean juice from a mug. It’s not hot anymore, more like lukewarm, but you don’t care enough to warm it up. You have your dragon cape wrapped around you like a blanket. Pyralspite is sitting next to you on the couch. It had a couple teal blood stains on it from a couple weeks back, but Rose helped you wash it out. 

Rose and Kanaya are sitting at the table not far from you. You can hear them talking softly to each other, almost whispering, and Rose giggles. They’re pretty relaxed, despite a black licorice bulge-sucker sneaking around. You suppose the passing time has lowered everyone’s guard a bit. Not that you’re judging; you’ve stopped paying as much attention too. The same doesn’t apply to Karkat; he worries enough for everybody. 

Their forthcoming matespritship couldn’t be more apparent, and you think you’re happy for them. You want to be happy for them, but you’re currently swimming in an ocean of your own emotions, and happiness is not one of them. 

You purposely slurp your black bean juice noisily and snicker when Rose turns to give you a look. You wiggle your eyebrows at her. Kanaya notices and flushes jade. 

Your thoughts shift to Sollux and Aradia. You’ve had a couple conversations with her, but most of the time her and Sollux are together somewhere private. You can’t tell if they’re pursuing pale or red. It’s definitely one of them. You and Kanaya have a bet on which they are; She’s wagering hearts while you’re betting diamonds. You think she might be right, but you enjoy gambling, so it doesn’t matter much to you. The winner gets the last piece of ‘peach pie’, a human delicacy that Rose brought with her. Not that it’s really the last one, since you can easily make more with the Alchemiter, so you’re just pretending. 

You can smell Dave coming before he even enters the block. His godtier attire smells deliciously like cherries, and you let him know that every time you see him. 

“ Hey Dave, you-- “ 

“ Smell nice, I know. Have girls flocking me left and right because I smell like goddamn cherries. And by girls I mean you. You’re the only girl. “

After delicately moving Pyralspite to the side, he flops down next to you. 

Talking with Dave has been...slightly difficult during the last few days. Not that he did anything wrong, he continues to talk, joke, and meme around with you as much as before. Or he tries to, at least. But lately, for obvious reasons, you haven’t been contributing to your friendship with him with the same amount of gusto. You’ve been giving poor feedback on his new raps, responding with indifference whenever he tries to make conversation with you, and you can’t make yourself laugh at his silly comments despite wanting to. You know you’ve been a brick wall, and you feel bad for it. 

At first he thought you were mad at him. Dave’s a straightforward kind of guy--meaning he wouldn’t stop following you around until you told him what he did wrong. He didn’t believe you when you said “nothing,” even though it was the truth. Eventually, his persistence made you angry for real. 

“ I think you’re the one who’s been flocking me. “ 

“ Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I was being a dick; making things about me again. “ 

You playfully punch him in the arm. “ It’s alright, dude. I’m sorry for being...whatever the hell I’m being. It’s not because of you. “

“ Yeah, I know that now. “ Dave lowers his voice to a whisper. “ Do you want to talk about it? “

“ Why are you whispering? “ 

“ Why do you think? So Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there don’t eavesdrop and psychoanalyze our conversation. “ 

You’re not sure what tweedledoo is, but you come to the conclusion that it’s a human insult. Maybe you’ll use it sometime. You’re not in the mood to talk either, but after how you’ve been treating Dave, you figure you owe him an explanation. You drape your cape over the couch as a makeshift tent, and invite Dave inside. He lays his cape over yours to make the tent bigger and scooches closer to you. Just your legs are sticking out from the couch now. 

“ What are they doing? “ You hear Kanaya question. 

“ Being themselves. “ Rose replies, “ Don’t worry about it. “ 

You hear Dave take off his glasses. “ Fuck, I can’t see shit. “

“ That must be really scary. Can’t imagine what that’s like. “ 

“ Sorry. So, what’s been grinding your gears? “ 

You bite your lip while you think. You’re sad your friends are dead, obviously, but _everyone_ has lost someone. Everyone is mourning somewhere inside. You’re not any different. Guilt swells inside of you. 

“ I’m...really sad. “

“ Yeah, I got that part. But there’s something specifically bothering you, right? “ 

You mumble something under your breath. Dave leans closer. 

“ What? “ 

“ I said, Vriska is dead and it’s my fault. “ 

“ Vriska...Vriska... “ Dave ponders as he tries to remember. “ Oh, you mean your kismesister? Sorry, there’s just so many of you. Or, were so many of you. “ 

“ She’s not my...yeah. Yeah, that’s the one. She died fighting Jack. “ 

“ How is that your fault then? He killed her, not you. “

Dave quickly moves out of the way of your horns when you drop your head into your hands. 

“ Because I tried to stop her! From luring him here! But I failed. She kicked my ass and I failed. If I tried harder, Jack would never have found us and she’d still be alive. “ 

“ Is that where you got those nasty cuts from? I thought Jack did that. They look really cool, by the way. “

“ Thanks, I know. “

“ Okay, listen. I know I’m probably not the best at comforting, but...you can’t blame yourself for this. I know you, you did all you could. It’s not your fault she died. You warned her, right? With your weird seery powers. And she didn’t listen. That’s on her. I don’t know what she was thinking, not listening to the team’s seer. You’re basically a fortune teller. “

“ I wouldn’t-- “

“ Like Rose? She knows everything. The other day, I lost one of my records. I looked everywhere and couldn’t find it. So I went to Rose, and she knew. She knew exactly where it was! She said it was just because she happened to see it, but I know better. “ 

You laugh; something you haven’t done in a while. Dave doesn’t; says that he’s serious, and it makes you laugh more. You suddenly regret avoiding interaction for so long. He continues. 

“ So, do you see what I’m trying to say? It sounds like Vriska bringing Jack here was kind of inevitable. Unless you like, killed her or something. But that would be kind of pointless, since her death is what’s upsetting you in the first place. “

You don’t mention the fact that you were thinking of killing her. That’s a whole ‘nother boulder of shame you don’t feel like pushing right now. 

“ Also, sorry if this is disrespectful to troll culture or something, but aren’t kismesises supposed to like...hate each other? “ 

“ Well, it’s not a platonic hate. “

That goes straight over his head. He stares at you, then pretends he understands and says “Oh, gotcha. “

“ I don’t even know if I _hate_ hate her. Like, I do, sometimes. Most of the time. But when I miss her, like now, I don’t think of the moments that we were giving each other a hard time. I think of old memories where we were young and friends and actually enjoyed each other’s company. “

“ It doesn’t sound like you really hate her then. “ 

“ But, “ You stick a finger in his face. “ I do! I think. I don’t know, romance is confusing. “

He corrects you. “ _Troll_ romance is confusing, you mean. “ 

“ I guess it doesn’t matter either way, because she’s dead. “ 

Dave doesn’t say anything to that. What could he say? But you don’t mind the silence. You sit in each other’s company for a few minutes, in comfortable silence.

Dave eventually opens his mouth to say something, but is interrupted when Karkat abruptly shoves his head into the tent, startling both of you. 

“ WHAT is going on here?! “ 

“ Jesus, fuck! “ Dave plants a hand on Karkat’s face and pushes him out. His cape falls down with his movement, exposing the two of you to light once more. 

“ That wasn’t cool, man. “

“ What were you doing in there with her? What did you need to hide? You were making out, weren’t you? I fucking kne-- “

“ We weren’t making out, you paranoid shit! We were just talking. Geez, can’t you see she’s upset? “

“ Of course I can see! And why were you hiding under your capes, then? “

“ To stop nosey trolls like you from disrupting us! Which you did anyway, good job on that. “ 

Karkat is flailing his arms and saying something else, but you block it out. You’re deep within your own mind again. 

_I guess it doesn’t matter either way, because she’s dead._

Yes, she’s dead. But what if there’s another way to see her? You know of dream bubbles, though you’ve never been in one before. You’ve heard of the dead roaming around in dream bubbles; dozens and dozens of players from different timelines, mostly doomed. There are only two ways to enter dream bubbles. One way is physically entering one somewhere in the medium, and the other... 

Is to dream. 

You bring your attention back to your surroundings. Dave and Karkat are still bickering. 

“ Guys, “ You start. They don’t answer. 

“ Guys! “ Karkat’s bitching about how he knows Dave was following you a lot, which is kind of ironic, because that implies he was following Dave a lot. His voice drowns yours out. You don’t know why you thought you could be louder than Karkat Vantas. You pick up your cane and swat Karkat in the leg. 

“ Ow! Fuck, why me? Dave’s right there, why did you hit me? “ 

“ ‘Cause you’re a dumbass. “ Dave mutters. 

“ I heard that. Fuck y-- “ 

You interrupt him. “ Shh! Could you guys do this somewhere else? I want to take a nap. “ 

They simultaneously ask “ Do what somewhere else? ”

You gesture vaguely at them. “ That. Now go away, please. I’m going to sleep. Keep watch or something. “ 

You shoo them away with your cane, and although you can still hear them squabble, they’re doing so with hushed voices and walking away. You pick up Pyralspite on the end of the couch and lay down, wrapping your cape around the two of you. You hope it won’t take you long to fall asleep. As sleep deprived as you are, your churning thoughts tend to keep you awake. 

You need to see Vriska. Even if you can’t bring her back to the living, you have to tell her how sorry you are. You also need to brag about how you were right. You just need to see her. 

You close your eyes, and wait for sleep to invade your conscience.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know this is a shorter chapter than usual, sorry about that. College is starting and I'm super stressed about payments and debt and...all those other awful things regarding the American education system! But I wont stop writing, it's one of the few things that helps me deal with stress.

VRISKA

The troll twists in your grip, his horns chafing your palm and fingers. You give him a sharp tug. He’s still making an awful racket. Usually by now, the trolls you’ve captured realize struggling is futile and stick with despaired moans and whimpers. But they always scream when they first see Spidermom. Always. You can understand that. 

Terezi still hasn’t caught up to you. She’s lagging behind, having feelings and pitying nobodies. That, you cannot understand. Why does it matter what kind of person a lowblood is in life? Why does it matter if they’re good or guilty? Their survival rate is the same either way. If this troll didn’t die by your hands, then he would probably die by someone else’s. And you like to think it’s somewhat of an honor being killed by you. 

The troll in your grip must have chewed through his gag, because suddenly he’s bombarding you with pleas and begging. 

“ W-wait--Stop, you don’t have to do this. “

You don’t stop. “ Actually, I kind of do. Sorry! “ 

“ Listen, if you let me go, I’ll help you capture more trolls! As many as you like! I’ll serve you! Just please don’t kill me. “ He rasps his words, breathless with fear. 

“ Oh, will you shut the hell up?! It’s nothing personal, okay? Keep barking my ear off, and I’ll kill you before we even reach the bottom. “

“ Just like you killed all your friends? “ 

You freeze. A bullet of dread and regret suddenly embeds itself in your chest, but you can’t remember where it was shot from. 

“ What the hell are you-- “ You twist your head to glare at him, but he’s no longer there. You look right and left, but he is nowhere to be seen. There’s no trace of him at all; he made no sound escaping and left no bloody footprints. Raising your palm, you learn that the scrapes his horn left on your hand has disappeared too. 

You shout into the corridor. “ Terezi?! “ 

Only the echo of your own voice answers you. You just stand there, dumbfounded, as your mind starts to sink into déjà vu.

You’ve been here before, haven’t you? You’ve already done this. The faint memory of dragging that exact rustblood down to your lusus’ den is still present in your head. You were watching when Spidermom swiftly wrapped him in her silk, muffling his terrified screams. He died. You _watched_ him die. 

A voice speaks behind you, nearly startling you out of your boots. 

“ She’s not there. “ 

Turning around, you see Aradia. But it’s not...quite Aradia. The last you saw her was when her soul possessed a robotic body. Aradiabot, they called her. But the one before you is in the flesh, wearing a t-shirt and skirt. The only thing off is her eyes, which are fogged over in white. 

“ Aradia? “

“ The one and only. Well, I guess that’s technically not true. There are several of me. “

“ You’re dead, aren’t you? “ 

“ Nice deduction skills. Yeah, I’m dead. You know which Aradia I am? “

You tentatively shake your head. 

“ I’m the one you killed in an explosion. By taking control of Sollux and exploiting his abilities. “ 

Uh oh. 

“ Oh, um, hello again. Sorry about that. I know an apology can’t really make up for that--let’s just get to the point. You came here to beat me up again with some ghostly punches and kicks, right? Have a Vriska Serket beatdown, round 2! “ 

“ No, Vriska, I’m not. I no longer have any grudges against you; at least this version of me doesn’t. It’s pointless holding grudges in the afterlife. And I didn’t come to you; you came to me. “

Before you can question what she means, you notice that you’re no longer wearing your pirate cape. Your attire has morphed into bright orange clothing. You’re not paying any attention to the outfit, however, your focus is solely on the blue-green stain soaking your chest. Your memories click into place like a line of falling dominos. 

“ Oh, “ You start, clutching your chest. “ Oh fuck. Oh fuck. “ 

“ Yeah, it’s kind of shocking at first. You’ll get used to it. “

“ No, I don’t care, I don’t care about me. But Jack--Oh _FUCK_! “ You run your fingers through your hair, clawing at the base of your horns. “ I died, and left them alone with Jack. With fucking Jack Noir!!!!!!!! He has probably slaughtered them all by now. I failed. I was supposed to beat him and save everyone, and I failed and died. Now they’re all going to die and it’s all my fa-- “ 

Aradia interrupts your rambling by grabbing your horns and yanking your head down to her level. For someone much shorter than you, she has the strength of a ram. 

“ Listen, before you have a heart attack and die a second time. If everyone died as well, don’t you think they’d be here too? I’ve been wandering around here for a while, and your the first from my timeline I’ve seen. “ 

“ What if he’s slaughtering them as we speak? “

“ Then tough shit! But until we actually see them, there’s no point in worrying yourself silly. They’re a capable group of trolls, I’m sure they’re fine. “ 

You know Aradia has a good point, but you’re still in distress. This isn’t like you; fretting so much over the wellbeing of others. Even if it’s mostly over the wellbeing of her. You’re not used to having your mind stuck on something you can’t change. Is this how Terezi feels all the time? What a drag.

Aradia lets go of your horns and you straighten yourself. The panic you were previously drowning in has subsided to anxiety pooling in your lungs. She beckons you to follow her, and you do, continuing down the steps. The two of you reach the bottom, standing on the ledge in your lusus’ den. But your lusus isn’t there, either. Not even her body. Just a sea of webs and skeletons stretching out in front of you. 

“ I have to admit, I’ve never seen you freak out like that before. “

“ Yeah? I bet you enjoyed it a lot. “

“ I might’ve. “

You scowl at her, which she meets with a playful smile. You change the subject. 

“ So...if this is the afterlife, why are we in my hive? “

“ We’re actually in a dream bubble. Whether it’s part of the game or not, I’m not sure. But it’s made up of the memories of trolls who have played the game, both living and dead. Some of the human’s memories are here, too. “ 

“ Of all the memories I could have revisited, I got this one. “ 

As you speak, the cliff’s edge extends forward, morphing into a field of white. Upon closer inspection, you register that the land is actually made of little white cubes. Giant teapots tower in the distance. You roll your eyes. The Land of Little Cubes and Tea is such a lame planet. Yours is much cooler. 

Aradia kicks some sugar cubes. “ Yeah, that was a pretty gruesome memory. I knew what you and Terezi did to feed your lusus, but actually seeing it is something else. “

“ You knew? She told you? “ 

“ Yep. “

“ Of course she did. “ You grumble. 

“ How can you blame her? You two did some messed up stuff! Stuff she needed to talk about. “

“ She could’ve talked about it with me! “

“ Terezi said she tried. How did that go? “

You don’t answer right away, staring at a suddenly interesting teapot. Aradia was right, Terezi did try to talk to you about it. You always took it as a weakness, and told her to grow up. Or, you would attempt to twist the truth until it appealed to her sense of justice. You kind of manipulated her a lot when you were younger. It was one of the things she decided to forgive you for. You’re still not sure why she did. 

“ You wouldn’t understand. Your lusus was nothing like mine. “ 

“ You’re right, and I won’t pretend I do. Can I ask a question, though? “

“ Shoot. “

“ Why not her? “

You stop walking and narrow your eyes at her. She stops a couple steps in front of you, turning around to face you. The cubes crunching beneath your feet change to a bronze color, and start to lose their shape until you are both standing in a land of sand. The yellow sky darkens to gold. You see a windmill behind her.

“ What do you mean, ‘Why not her?’ “

“ I mean why didn’t you ever feed Terezi to your lusus? She’s still a lower blood than you. “

You scoff. “ Because she kicks ass and is my friend, obviously. “

“ Tavros was your friend too. “

That shuts you up. For a moment, at least, while you look at the ground and shuffle your feet. The color of the sand reminds you of Tavros’ blood, and your stomach twists with guilt. 

“ Yeah. “ is all you say. Aradia, to your relief, doesn’t push. She places her hand on your arm, and you almost recoil from her touch. She points somewhere toward the horizon. 

“ Look, “ she says, “ Speaking of. “

You squint against the desert wind, peering into the distance. A troll is walking towards the two of you, and you immediately know who it is. That obnoxiously large pair of horns can only belong to one troll. 

“ Ugh, great. “

Aradia glares at you. She starts walking towards him, gripping your arm and forcing you to come along with her. You decide against ripping your arm free. You don’t want to make her mad, even if she’s no longer made of steel. 

Tavros starts running when he sees Aradia, but stops short when he sees you. He then starts walking at a slowly pace. You and Aradia meet him across the sand. Aradia cheerfully calls out to him. 

“ Hey, Tavros! “ 

“ Hi again, Aradia. And uh, hi for the first time, Vriska. I mean, not the first time like ever, but the first time as ghosts.“

He is dressed in his Boy-Skylark costume, and looks just as dorky in death as he did while he was living. You give him a weak wave.

“ I got you. Hi, Tav. “

“ How did you, uh, “

“ Die? “

He rubs the back of his neck and nods. 

You consider lying to make your death sound much more heroic, but you have a feeling both of them would see right through it. You stick with the truth. 

“ Got stabbed through the chest by my own sword. Wielded by none other than that bulge-sucker Jack. “

“ Oh, wow. That sucks. “

“ Sure does. “ Aradia pinches your arm. “ Ow, okay! Geez. I’m sorry for, you know. The whole killing you thing. I was being a huge bitch. “

“ Yeah, uh, you kind of were. “

You give him a look that prompts him to take two steps back. Aradia steps between you two. 

“ Anyway! “ she says, “ Let’s keep walking! Vriska, there are some trolls waiting for us. You’ll want to meet them. “

“ Frankly, I’m not interested in meeting anyone. “

Aradia starts walking, Tavros at her heels like a young barkbeast. She looks over her shoulder at you. 

“ Oh, you will be. “


	14. Chapter 14

TEREZI

Sleep didn’t come easy for you. And it wasn’t because of your loud friends, for once.  
Your mind would not rest. Your thoughts were crackling with tension and anxiety. Perhaps even excitement? Often you would open your eyes and take a whiff of your surroundings, hoping you’d smell an unfamiliar memory. Or maybe a familiar one. But for the first thirty minutes of your attempted sleep, you opened your eyes to spicy cinnamon couch and the feeling of your horn digging uncomfortably into the cushion. You shifted positions so often, Kanaya occasionally shook your shoulder to wake you up, presuming you were having a nightmare.

When you open your eyes for the thirteenth time, however, you’re no longer on the couch.  
The cushions that you were previously laying upon becomes a heap of colorful scalemates, which squeak softly when you lean up. The fruity aroma of your hive has never failed to calm you down. You are still blind in your dreams, but you don’t mind. You prefer it that way, in fact.  
You slide off the pile, feet hitting the wooden floor with a soft pap. Your cane is within reach. You’re not sure if it’s your actual cane, or just a fabricated one from your memory. You take it. 

You stick your head out of your window, and the sea of blue grass and trees topped with cotton candy pink leaves greet you. This memory takes place on Alternia, then, instead of LOTAF. You have to admit, you missed the calm forest that you dwelled in. You find yourself in that position for a while, letting the gentle breeze play with your hair while nostalgia washes over you. It’s a good opportunity to pretend you’re back before the game started, and all your friends are alive. No trolls, alive or dead, interrupt your memory. From what you can smell, you’re completely alone. But you didn’t go to sleep to be alone.  
A notification from your old husktop pulls you away from the window. You sit down in your old huskchair, and let your fingers spread over the familiar keyboard.

\--  arachnidsGrip [AG] began trolling gallowsCalibrator [GC] \--

AG: Hahahahahahahaha!

AG: Aaaaaaaa haaaaaaaa haaaaaaaa haaaaaaaa haa........man, fuck this.

AG: It’s a real pain in the ass typing out long victorious laughs with only one hand, you know?

GC: 1 C4NT POSS1BLY 1M4G1N3

AG: Hey! There you are! And here I was thinking you wouldn’t 8e a8le to read this 8ecause you’re 8lind!

AG: You are 8lind, right?

GC: Y3S

AG: I thought so! Pretty clever of me, huh? I 8et you weren’t expecting that!

AG: Don’t 8e too upset, though. I think you got the longer end of the branch.

AG: 8ecause as far as I know, you still have both of your arms, and can type much faster than me!

GC: SUCH 4 POW3RFUL 4DV4NT4GE 1ND33D

AG: And I lost my vision eightfold, which is like, worth MUCH more than your plain old eyes, so.

AG: You got out of this with 8arely a scratch! Surely it’s nothing to hold a grudge over, right Pyrope?

AG: Nothing to come between the Scourge Sisters!

AG: Here, I’m even using the a8surd amount of 8lood I’m losing to write it down. Not like a 8lood pact, 8ecause I’m not that weird, unless you’re into that.

AG: There! Right on my desk, ‘Team Scourge Forever.’ Or in your case, ‘T34M SCOURG3 FOR3V3R!’ :::;)

AG: Damn TZ, how do you stand writing like that all the time?

GC: 1 C4NT B3L13V3 1 4LMOST FORGOT JUST HOW MUCH YOU T4LK

GC: 4ND HOW 4BSOLUT3LY 1NS4N3 YOU 4R3

GC: NO WOND3R 1 STR1F3D W1TH YOU SO MUCH 4S GRUBS, TH3 ONLY T1M3 YOU SHUT UP 1S WH3N YOUR3 F1GHT1NG

GC: N3V3RM1ND, YOU T4LK 4 LOT WH3N YOUR3 F1GHT1NG TOO

GC: TH1S M3MORY SUCKS

AG: Oh!

AG: I was under the impression that you two were close.

AG: Perhaps not in the way I thought you were.

GC: WH4T?

AG: May8e you’re leaning more towards the 8lack square, hmmmmmmmm?

AG: I suppose that makes sense, if you think a8out your ancestry.

GC: WH4T 4R3 YOU T4LK1NG 4BOUT?

GC: WHO 4R3 YOU?

The typing notification flickers for a second before disappearing completely. Her scent suddenly hits you out of nowhere, as if she has been there the whole time. You spin around in your chair, and take a sniff of the troll standing in front of you. 

She smells like Vriska, but something is...off. She smells like Vriska if Vriska went to the library more often. And perhaps had a habit of laying on a dusty floor. You wrinkle your nose. You don’t like imposters. 

The imposter is looking at you with a friendly smile, however, so you don’t voice your distrust. She also has a very nice smelling dress. Vriska should have worn blue more often. Or even better, worn dresses more often. Now that would have been quite the sight. The mystery troll speaks before you can dive further into the thought. 

“ My name is Aranea. “ 

“ Okay. “ You’re not sure what else to say. 

“ Aranea Serket, actually. I’m Vriska’s ancestor. And yours too, in a way. “

“ Really? “ 

“ Sort of. Vriska had an ancestor that she was aware of, as did you. I am her ancestor, though technically I’m an alternate version. A version that did not grow up on the same planet as you. “

Your mouth twists with doubt. “ I’m not sure I follow. “

“ That’s alright. It’ll all come together, in due time. “ Aranea beckons you from the doorway. “ Follow me. “ 

You follow her out onto the winding path of branches that curl towards the sky. A hanging scalemate dangles next to your head. You recognize the sour fragrance of Senator Lemonsnout, and you sigh. Those were simpler times. You miss them. 

“ So, what brings you to a dream bubble? “

“ I fell asleep. “

Aranea laughs. “ I’m sure, but you did so with a goal in mind, right? “

“ Maybe. “

“ No need to be shy, I already know. You’re looking for your friend who died. Killed by Jack Noir, wasn’t she? “

You frown. The memory is still fresh and painful in your mind. 

“ Yeah. “ You whisper. 

“ Tell me, would you prefer that outcome, or the outcome from the timeline in which you killed her? “

Your cane catches on some bark and you nearly slip off the branch. “ I did _what_? “

Aranea senses your halt, and stops as well, turning around. 

“ Your battle with Vriska. In another timeline, you won. You killed her, and prevented her from leading Jack to the meteor. You saved everyone from the threat. “ 

You swallow thickly. “ I actually killed her? “

“ Yes. Are you that surprised? “

To be honest, you’re not that shocked. That used to be your plan, anyway. Killing Vriska to cease her foolish plans and save the others. You don’t like the idea of being a killer. But deep down, you know you are. You always have been. It’s part of a past you cannot erase. It’s part of many things that you cannot escape. 

“ So in this timeline, I didn’t kill her and Jack finds us, but Vriska dies anyway? “ The revelation angers you. 

“ So it seems. “ 

“ What’s the point of being a seer if the outcome is the same no matter what I choose? “

“ This was just one decision and one outcome among the plethora of decisions you make and have to face throughout your journey. And the outcome isn’t exactly the same. Jack didn’t find you in the other timeline. Though he is chasing you and your friends. “

“ Fantastic. So he’s not barely alive and in hiding, but instead perfectly fine and chasing us. And Vriska dies either way. That’s really the ending I should have strived for. “ 

You sit down and let your legs swing over the side of the branch. You hold your cane in one hand, while the other rubs your forehead. A headache has begun pounding inside your head. Aranea sits next to you, adjusting her dress. 

“ I used to think I was so cool, guiding my teammates to victory against the Black King. I thought that there was no circumstance I couldn’t intercept. But I was naive. I don’t have that much power, do I? It was our numbers that led to an easy victory, I doubt my decisions made much of a difference. I’m not a very good Seer of Mind. “

“ But you aren’t finished being one, are you? You can’t change the past, and as much as it may hurt, you can no longer focus on it. Vriska is gone, and you’re still here. You still have the chance and the power to adjust your future and the future of others as you see fit. You still have a chance to win. Don’t let the past hold you back from that. “

You’re silent. There is truth to what Aranea says; you know that. But does one really have to let go of the past to change the future? It doesn’t make much sense to you. Is it the past that decides the future, or the present? You’re not sure if letting go of Vriska is worth winning some stupid game. You suppose it might be; not everyone is dead. And you’re still their seer. It’s still your duty to help lead everyone to victory, if you even can. 

Aranea returns to her feet, and helps you to yours. The two of you continue along the thinning branch. It stretches towards the two moons of Alternia. You have to raise your arms to keep balance. 

“ What is victory? “ You ask her. 

“ Pardon? “ 

“ Victory. What does it mean to win? To be victorious? “ 

“ I think that differs between each person. Winning means something different to every troll. “

“ What does it mean for you? “ 

You hear Aranea’s fangs click against her bottom teeth as she thinks. 

“ Keeping everyone safe, I think. To get everyone though this hell of a game as unscathed as possible. I am a Sylph, after all. Healing is in my nature. What about you? “

“ I don’t know. “ You do know. But you don’t want to think about it; you’re afraid you might have already failed. 

“ That reminds me. “ Aranea stops abruptly, and you bump into her. She grabs onto your arm and you help steady her. 

“ Your eyes. “

“ My eyes? “ 

“ Yes. I could heal them for you, if you’d like. I’m the Sylph of Light. Helping people see is what I do. “ 

“ Light? Like Rose and Vriska! Do all Light players have a habit of rambling a lot? “

She chuckles. “ That does seem to be a common trait among us, doesn’t it? But, would you like me to? I don’t have to, it’s up to you. “

“ Thanks for the offer, but, I think I would prefer to remain this way. This might sound silly, but, I never really talked to my lusus until I became blind. I don’t think I even starting ‘seeing’ as a Seer until I could no longer literally see. “

“ That doesn’t sound silly at all. That sounds like a very good reason, in fact. Do you know why you’re blind? “

“ It was an act of revenge from Vriska. It wasn’t supposed to benefit me. I kind of blew her arm off. “ 

As you walk farther and farther from the ground, you become glad that you’re not afraid of heights. The darkness of space and the stars surround the two of you now, and Alternia’s bubblegum moon looms before you two like an omen. 

“ Well, yes, “ Aranea says, “ That’s _how_ you became blind. But do you know _why_? “

“ Uh. Because Vriska is a bitch? “

“ Close, but no. How much do you know of your and Vriska’s ancestors? The alternate version of me and Latu--Neophyte Redglare, I mean. “

“ My ancestor was a novice legislacerator but also a prodigy. She excelled in her work, which was why she was chosen to pursue Spinneret Mindfang, a dangerous pirate and gambiglant. “

“ Anything else? “

“ She succeeded in capturing Mindfang, but on the day of the trial, she used her telepathic abilities to turn the court hostile towards Redglare. In the end, Redglare was hung from the same noose that was meant for Mindfang. “ 

“ Impressive, you know more than I thought you did. “

“ I don’t understand what this has to do with me being blind. “ 

“ Marquise Mindfang and Neophyte Redglare had an interconnection that was not picked up by history books. What happened between them is a much longer and complex scenario than you or Vriska knew. “ Aranea recounts, “ But that is a story for another time. 

“ Similar to how the Sufferer and the Disciple had a love that surpassed all quadrants, Redglare and Mindfang had a hate. A hate deeper than any sea and blacker than it’s depths. In her last moments, while she slowly suffocated and choked from the rope around her neck, Neophyte glared at Mindfang with such loathing, that the gambiglant forgot about her kismesis, Dualscar, within a moment. “

“ How do you know all of this? “ You question. 

“ You can learn many things in the afterlife. Through memories, through the clouds, through other ghosts. As I was saying, both of your ancestors detested each other so much, their hate conceived it’s own life. “

“ Like a spirit? “ 

“ Like a curse. A curse that would affect the descendants of those two for eternity. That is why you are blind. And why you blew Vriska’s arm off. “

By now, you and Serket the Prequel have reached the moon. You’ve never been on either of Alternia’s moons, and you briefly wonder whose memory is allowing you to be on one now. Perhaps Aranea’s? You hop off the branch and land on the fuchsia ground. 

“ You say that like it was part of our destiny, like it would happen no matter what. “ 

“ It would. “

You shake your head. “ I don’t think I believe that. “ 

“ Then what do you believe? “

“ That anyone can decide their own fate. “

“ Do you think Vriska decided to die? “

Her words tug harshly on a string within you. You scowl at her. Aranea lifts her hands up apologetically. 

“ Sorry. I was just being difficult. I understand what you meant. You don’t have to believe my story, but I figured I’d tell you anyway. “

Aranea places her hand on the small of your back to guide you as you walk across the pink, rocky turf. 

“ Let’s end storytime for now. Come with me. There’s someone who’s been dying to meet you. “

“ An ancestor? “ 

“ Precisely. “


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow update, depression and college have been tag teaming against me and fucking me up. But I could never stop writing.

Aradia, like you assumed, is incorrect. You are still not interested in meeting anyone. Even if they’re...what did Aradia say? Your ancestors or something? The thought excited you at first--You were going to meet Spinneret Mindfang; the real deal! Your idol, your hero, and the coolest bitch around. Other than you, of course. 

But she’s not here. And whoever these trolls are; they aren’t her. So you don’t care. 

The dream bubble chose the worst possible place for a meeting. You cringe every time you shift and hear your shoes squelching into the brain matter. The Land of Brains and Fire; really Sollux? Like, what the fuck? You take back what you said about LOLCAT, _this_ planet is definitely the worst. 

Despite the squishy pink matter everyone is standing in, you’re the only one who seems upset. You frown behind Aradia as she introduces you to Porridge and Terezi #2. 

When you saw her pointed horns, you were swamped with panic and alleviation at the same time. It faded immediately and was replaced with disdain when you realized it wasn’t her. Apparently her name is Latula, and she’s Terezi ancestor, which explains the resemblance. Despite her being your closest connection to Terezi, you greet her with a glare. It doesn’t phase her a single bit. In fact, this screwball seems psyched. 

You know who Porridge is related to immediately. She’s giving you the same disapproving look Kanaya gave you just about every five seconds. The kind of look that says, “ I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m watching you. “ She’s hovering behind Latula like an overprotective lusus. Kanaya could be intimidating, but you’re getting a vibe that this troll is on a whole different level. You have to admit her piercings and tattoos look badass. But you’re not going to let her intimidate you. You didn’t even do anything! Yet. 

“ You brought more! “ Latula clasps her hands together, her black lipstick stretching around her smile. “ You have no idea how great it is to have some new faces around here! I love my friends to death but sometimes you just gotta meet someone new you know?” 

Tavros gives a weak laugh at her death pun, but you’re not amused. Trolls who are extremely friendly rub you the wrong way. You’re never sure if they have a hidden intention, or if they’re just stupid. Why is she so excited to see people she’s never met? For all they know, you could be a huge bitch. And you are. So what gives? 

“ I know exactly what you mean. “ Aradia agrees, “ I’m-- “

You interrupt her. “ So Porridge, got any other piercings besides the ones we can see? “ 

You’re answered with the back of Aradia’s hand hitting your gut. You immediately learn that ghosts can get hurt too, because you double over and grunt in pain. Porrim raises a pierced eyebrow at the two of you. Latula is beaming like she’s watching a comedy. Aradia continues. 

“ Anyway, _Porrim_ , where are the rest of your friends you’ve been telling me so much about? We’d love to meet them. “ She elbows you. “ _Right,_ Vriska? “ 

You groan. “ Oh great, there’s more? “

A voice that mimics water bubbling over rocks sounds from behind Porrim and Latula. 

“ That’s my line, basshole. “

A fuchsiablood pushes her way past Porrim, who simply rolls her eyes instead of getting perturbed. She’s holding a golden trident, longer than you, by her side. There’s a look in her faded eyes that tells you she’ll probably attempt to stab you with it if you piss her off. Just like any typical fuchsiablood, she’s donning thick golden bracelets and rings. Feferi did too, but this troll seems more inclined to show them off. 

For a moment you wonder if she’s their leader, but you drop that theory while observing Porrim ignoring her completely to talk to Aradia, and Latula repeatedly trying to give her a high five. The highblood eventually gives in after refusing the first few times, and receives a hard smack against her palm. You watch her shake her hand afterwards and mutter to herself. 

“ Alright, “ you declare, “ I’ve had enough of this shit show. Where’s the closest exist? “ 

“ Hey! “ The highblood swings her trident a little too close to your face, prompting you to stumble backwards. 

“ But I just got here! What kind of host would I be if I didn’t whalecome our new guests to my turf? You gills and buoy look kind of lost. First time being dead, huh? “ 

You shove the shining spikes out of your face. This troll’s cocky demeanor is starting to irritate you. And you’re not sure how to feel about the fact that she reminds you of yourself. 

Porrim speaks before either of you get the chance to start bickering. 

“ Aradia, Tavros, Vriska, this is Meenah. “ 

“ I can introduce myself! “

“ Yes, you can, but you chose to be condescending instead. “ 

Meenah waves her off. “ Whateva. Listen, guppies. I hope you three don’t intend to be any trobubble, because I’m in charge around here, and I’m gathering some souls for-- “ 

“ Hold up. “ You interject, “ I don’t think so. I don’t answer to anyone, especially not some fish girl who just waltz on up to us!” 

Instead of getting mad like you were hoping, Meenah just grins at you. 

“ Ah, I had an eeling you’d say somefin like that. “

“ A what? “ 

“ This is the perfect opportunaty to assert my leadership. “ She spins her trident dramatically and jabs it in your face once more. 

“ Are you asking for a fight? “ You rebuke. 

“ Hull yeah. “ 

Porrim steps between you two just a moment before you grab for your dice. She guides the trident away from you and scowls at Meenah. 

“ You’re not anyone’s leader! Would you stop looking for trouble at every turn? These are our descendants, we’re supposed to be welcoming them. “

“ You mean whalecoming. “ 

“ Whalecoming. Whatever. Besides, I see Aranea approaching with more of them right now. “

“ Great! “ Meenah digs her trident into the ground, still made of brain, making the others cringe. “ More ghosts to draft! “

You look past them while Porrim scolds Meenah. A few feet away from them, where the fleshy ground fades into the golden bricks of Prospit, you see a couple trolls walking down a staircase. One is wearing a blue dress, but what piques your interest is that her horns seem to match yours. Could it be your ancestor? Could it be Mind--

You forget about her immediately when you lay your eyes on the troll behind her, garbed in a crimson dragon cape. If ghosts can breathe, you just stopped. 

Prospit has stretched under the groups feet, completely surrounding them in the spatial city. Aranea sees you and must recognize you, because she jogs up to you immediately. She’s slightly out of breath. 

Afterlife note: Ghosts can breathe. Whether they need to or not is unsure. You will test that later. 

She gives a wave to Meenah, who looks annoyed, and the others then approaches you. 

“ You must be Vriska! Oh, I’ve been dying to meet you. “ 

Latula finger guns at her for the pun. 

“ I’m Aranea Serket, your ancestor, I’ve been... “

While Aranea rambles, you tune her out and stare at Terezi. She’s wearing her shades, so you can’t tell if she’s dead or not. Fuck, you hope she’s not dead. It would be all your fault. 

She’s clutching the hems of her cape, closing it in front of her chest. Her face is mostly unreadable, but you detect a gloomy atmosphere around her. She must not be listening to Aranea either because she hasn’t reacted to your name. Or maybe she just doesn’t care? Maybe she hates you, in that awful platonic way. That would make sense. Why wouldn’t she? 

But then Terezi’s face morphs into recognition, then shock, and you realize she must have finally smelt you. 

You walk past Aranea, who trails off as she watches you go. Meenah releases a hearty laugh. Your heart is thudding inside your chest. It has no reason to beat anymore, so you presume it’s just pumping to remind you of just how nervous you really are. You stop in front of Terezi. 

Your words overlap each other. “ Terezi, “ “ Vriska. “ 

You swallow. “ Are... are you, “

“ Dead? “ 

“ Yeah. “

Terezi shakes her head. “ I’m not. “

You release a breath you didn’t know you were holding. 

“ But you are. “ 

“ Yeah... I am. “

You pause, as does she. Terezi turns her head towards Aranea, who gets the hint. 

“ Okay, we’ll see you two later! It was nice, uh, meeting you Vriska. Kind of. “ 

Aranea takes hold of Meenah’s arm, who took no shame in listening to their whole conversation, and started walking away. Meenah protests as she’s dragged along, but Porrim and Latula follow with no complaint. Aradia waves at Terezi, as does Tavros, and she waves back. Then the two follow the ancestors. You watch them go.

When you turn back towards Terezi, she sucker punches you in the jaw. 

You fall on your ass with a “ FUCK, “ and hold your now bleeding lip. The sunny Prospit floor did not do justice to cushion your fall. You look up at Terezi, who’s gripping her cane so hard her knuckles are white. 

“ What the FUCK, Vriska?! “

“ Uh, “

“ You think you can just beat the crap out of me, lead Jack back to us, and then fucking DIE in the process? “ Terezi yells. 

“ I didn’t mean-- “

“ Yeah, I know, you didn’t mean to. But you did, because you never fucking listen to me! Ever! And now we’re stuck on a meteor with Jack hiding somewhere, without you! You’re lucky I only hit you once, because I would have hit you for every other troll who died because of your STUPID actions! “ 

You don’t say anything. You know you deserve the screaming session you’re getting. Terezi gladly continues shouting.

“ You pleaded with me soooo many times to be friends with you again. Well, you know what friends do? They _listen_ to each other. They help each other. And they sure as fuck don’t DIE on each other! Why did you even spare me if you were just going to come back with him? If you were just going to die anyway? 

“ You know I killed you in another timeline? Aranea told me. But the outcome was more or less the same. It seems no matter what universe we’re in, you find some way to fuck up and die. 

“ Or maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough to stop you. Maybe I was too weak. “ She jabs a finger at you. “ But at least _I_ cared enough to try! You never did! You just, you just... “

She breathes in deeply through her nose, and turns away for a moment, rubbing her forehead. You have never seen her so angry. Despite all the shit you put her through, she has never addressed you with such fury as she is right now. You stay on the ground to avoid the chance of decapitation if you stood up. 

When she continues her silence, you take the opportunity to talk. Or, you mean, opportunaty. 

“ I would say sorry, but-- “

“ But it wouldn’t be good enough. Yeah, you’re right. “ Terezi sighs and moves toward you. You instinctively raise your arm to protect yourself, but she just sits down next to you and holds her knees. You lower your arm and hope she didn’t smell it.

“ Well... I’m sorry, anyway. I really am, and I really was every other time... Okay, mostly every other time. “

“ You’re always sorry. But nothing changes. “ Terezi whispers. “... and now you’re dead. “

Awkward silences aren’t really your thing. While the two of you stay seated together, the golden bricks melt into one solid floor, which turns grey in color. Walls close in around you two, until you’re sitting in one of the hallways in the meteor. The sight makes your heart ache. You almost wish you were back on those brains.

You dig deep in your mind to come up with anything comforting. You’ve never really been good at consolation; Terezi knows that better than anyone. You usually say something stupid enough to cheer her up, but this time? This is different. You don’t like talking about feelings. You don’t like opening up to anyone. But this is Terezi, and it’s the least you can do right now. 

“ If it means anything, I’m really glad to see you. “ 

She turns her head towards you, and gives a soft smile. “ I’m really glad to see you too. “ 

Oh, fuck. You forgot how good she is at making you smile. You grin like an idiot, your blue blood staining your fangs, and turn your head away so she can’t tell. But the action itself says enough. 

She nudges your shoulder. “ Now who am I supposed to bully on the meteor? “

You laugh nervously. “ Well, I mean, you could always visit me in dream bubbles. Kind of like you are now. Not that you went to sleep just to see me, but I mean. If you’d like. “

Terezi nods slowly, biting her lip. You notice that her cheeks are tinged teal, but you’re not sure exactly why. She clears her throat. 

“ Uh, yeah. That sounds good. That sounds like a good idea. I can do that. I can keep you updated on all the stupid stuff the humans do. And stuff. “

“ And stuff. “ 

Her fingers inch towards yours, and your pinkies intertwine. 

The spade you previously held inside you starts to flip upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a tumblr post that said, " If she doesn't release a breath she didn't know she was holding, is it really fanfiction? " So I had to include it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet y'all thought I was dead. But nope, here I am, back with angsty teenage aliens.

VRISKA 

After wandering around with Aranea for thirty minutes, you started to doubt you would find Vriska. This was the afterlife, after all. It contained thousands of souls from thousands of timelines, all packed together in one dream. You figured you were just stuck with her lookalike. As sweet as Aranea was, she just wasn’t what you were looking for. You perked up a little when she mentioned meeting some ancestors; you can’t deny that you’re very intrigued by what kind of people they are. Especially your own. So instead of pinching yourself awake, you stick with the ghostly troll until the end of your journey. 

You only captured about half of the sentences Aranea was dropping on you, and the conversation (if you could even call it that; she did most of the talking) became background noise. So, when Aranea’s flow of words stopped, the silence beckoned your attention. 

A group of trolls were chatting not far from the two of you; some you recognize, and some you don’t. The first person you got a good whiff of was a troll with horns and shades that matched yours. Aranea saw where you were “looking” and smiled. She placed her hand on the small of your back as if to encourage you to talk to her. But anxiety glued your feet to the ground. You wanted to make a good impression on your ancestor, but you weren’t quite sure how. 

Before you could dive deeper into your worry and embarrass yourself, the mingling scent of the trolls became clear. Tavros’ metallic fragrance washed over you like a gentle wave, and you felt your heart swell with joy. The painting of his mangled corpse that hung in your mind was replaced with the picture before you; Tavros in one piece and no wounds to be smelled. He was alright. Well, as alright as a ghost could be. 

You noticed Aradia soon after, and it didn’t take long for you to understand that she was probably the original soul that harbored her metal lookalike before her dream self-reached god tier. 

Vriska’s scent hit you like a punch in the gut.

It knocked the breath out of you, and you forgot about your ancestor immediately. You knew your shock was probably present on your face, but at the moment, you didn’t care. Aranea moved past you to say something to her, and you almost wanted to scold her for interrupting the moment, but Vriska paid her no heed and went straight to you. You would have been insulted if she didn’t. 

When her face becomes clear, a mix of anger and joy clashes together like a storm inside you. You pull your arm back and aim for her jaw.

* * *

“ Jack’s still alive? “

You nod. Vriska’s expression is troubled. You and she are sitting cross-legged next to each other in a memory of Prospit. Your right hand is flat against the ground, and three of Vriska’s fingers are overlapping yours. Both of you pretend not to notice. 

Your friends and ancestors have left, and you’re slightly worried that blatantly ignoring them for Vriska came off as rude, but you have priorities. You’re sure Aradia will vouch for you. 

They all left, except for one. One of the trolls stayed behind, lingering behind a pillar. She’s out of Vriska’s view, but you can smell her. She sort of smells like Feferi; the sea salt and seaweed mixed together with a hint of fish. But there’s something else, too. Gunpowder? No matter. She’s obviously eavesdropping, but as long as she doesn’t butt in between you and Vriska, you don’t care. 

“ Well if he’s still alive, “ Vriska continues, worry laced in her voice. “ Then why the hell are you asleep? “ 

“ Relax. Karkat and the others are around. No one else died after you, and Jack’s too weak to fight us as a group. He’s just slinking around the meteor like Gamzee. I’m not sure which one makes me more nervous. “ 

“ Woooooooow, I died for all you and you couldn’t even finish him off? Real nice, Pyrope. “ 

You roll your eyes. “ I’m still mad at you for that. Dying on us like some...some loser! “ 

That wipes the grin off of Vriska’s face. “ I’m not a loser! I’m a hero. I died heroically. “

“ I don’t know, it could have been just, too. Remember Tavros? “ 

“ Hey, Tavros and I are good now. We talked it out. Kind of. Not really. I’ll get to it. “ 

“ Hmm... Vriska Serket talking things out? That doesn’t sound quite right. “ 

Vriska scowls and raises her arm, and you’re sure she’s about to playfully slap you, but when her palm reaches your cheek, her touch is as gentle as a caress. It was like a black gesture turned to pale in under a second. That shuts you up because you’re unsure what message the Vriska is trying to convey and how to respond. The ghost doesn’t seem to know either because she simply pulls her hand back hastily and turns away, like she suddenly saw something very interesting in the distance. 

The awkward silence cuts into you like a knife, so you break it the only way you know how with her. 

“ I didn’t take you for the sappy type. Dying must have really fucked you up, huh? “ 

Hmm. No. That wasn’t the kind of response you were looking for. 

Vriska scoffs. “ Oh, please. I just didn’t want to hurt you any more than I already did. You know, when I completely kicked your ass? How are those wounds, by the way? “ 

This time she none-too-gently shoves you with her shoulder. Your wounds have healed for the most part, but there is still some bruising left behind, so her push wasn’t exactly painless. Vriska’s move also removed her hand from atop of yours, and you find that you’re disappointed.

“ They’re just _fine_. How are yours? Oh wait, you don’t have any because you died. Sorry, I forgot. “ 

With each syllable you start to hate yourself more. You didn’t search the afterlife to continue your stupid contention with her! You found her to work past everything you couldn’t while she was alive... right? You hear her grinding her teeth, fangs clicking against the bottom row. You have no one to blame but yourself, though. It was you who sprinkled your talk with tiny spades. 

“ You’re walking into uncharted territory, Pyrope. “

“ Now, what were we talking about after I punched you? How I’m always right and you’re always wrong? Yes, that sounds familiar.“

You’re in for it, now. 

“ Well maybe I wouldn’t have died if you spent your energy fighting Jack by my side instead of fighting **ME!** “ 

“ We wouldn’t have had to fight him at all if you just considered what I was saying instead of ignoring me! “

“ What, and run from him like a coward? “ Vriska spits. “ That is so _you._ “ 

You’re used to Vriska insulting you, but for some reason, it hurt this time. Something snaps inside of you, and you hiss, thrusting yourself towards her and forcing her onto her back. The moment you do, the bricks of Prospit melt into white, fluffy snow, and the two of you sink into the cold. Vriska fights back, snapping at your arm and fingers like a piranha. When she does land a bite on your forearm, she sinks her teeth deep enough to draw blood. You’re abruptly hit with memories of Jack closing his jaws around your foot, and you shove yourself away from her in a panic. You fall into the fresh fallen snow and create a snow-troll. You glance to your left and see a frozen frog. You’re tempted to lick it, but don’t because a ghost grabs your arm and rips you out of the icy depths. 

Then you’re face to face with her, her cold, dead fingers gripping your shoulders like a beast-trap. Her body emits no heat whatsoever, and it unnerves you. This is when you start to realize that Vriska is truly dead. And she’s not coming back. 

“ Don’t tell me you came here just to flaunt my mistakes in my face. “ Vriska growls. “ Because if you did, you’ll fucking regret it. “ 

“ That’s not why-- “ 

“ Then why did you come?! “

You pause. You can’t straight up tell her why you’re here; not after this. She’ll laugh in your face. But you can’t lie and say it was to poke fun at her choices, because then you’ll lose some teeth. The bleeding bite mark on your arm proves that ghosts can hurt the living. 

You used to have so much fun making Vriska mad and tugging at her strings. What’s different now? 

“ Because... I... miss you? “ 

Vriska blinks in surprise. “ What? “

“ I miss you. You died and I miss you, so I came to see you. “

That actually felt good. Maybe you should be blunt with her more often. Even if she’s going to laugh at you. She laughs at you anyway. 

Vriska lets go of your shoulder and huffs. “ Well, you have a fucking weird way of showing it. “ 

“ Isn’t that what kismesis’ do? “

Vriska raises her eyebrows. You decide not to be blunt anymore. 

“ Is that what we are? “ She asked. 

“ I don’t know. “ You really don’t. “ Do you want to be? “

“ Do you? “

“ I asked you first. “ 

“ I asked you second. “ 

You’re both silent. You’re not still, however. You start jogging in place to keep warm in the freezing wind, and Vriska’s gawking at you.

“ What? Some of us still feel cold, okay? “

“ I’m cold too. I’m just not a dumbass about it. “

The intensity of the glare you give her is weakened by your bouncing. Vriska shuffles her feet.

“ Me too. “ She mutters.

“ Huh? “ 

“ I miss you too. “ 

“ Look, I’m sorry about-- “ 

Vriska raises her hands to halt you. “ No. No no no. We’re not going to start apologizing and getting all mushy and all that crap. I get it, okay? We were hurt and angry and said stuff we didn’t mean. Done. That’s it. “ 

“ Oh no, I meant everything I said. I was just going to say sorry for pushing you into the snow. “ You tease. 

She frowns at you before jumping towards you, and you prepare for a kick or a punch but instead you get are two ghostly arms wrapping around your torso. When you’re right next to each other, or more specifically, right against each other, the height difference is very prominent. It allows Vriska to tuck your head under your chin, a motion that makes your heart skip a beat. Vriska’s heart doesn’t beat at all, so you have difficulty perceiving her emotions. 

“ What are you doing? “ 

“ You looked cold. I’m warming you up. “ Vriska says. 

“ Vriska, you don’t have any body heat, you can’t warm anything up. “

“ Shut up. I’m warming you the fuck up. So stop complaining. “

Her hug around you becomes tighter, and you realize in dismay that you are becoming warmer due to your own blushing. You wonder if Vriska can feel it. You really hope she can’t. 

But if she can’t feel it, then that means she’s hugging you just to hug you. The thought makes you burn like a heater, and you almost can’t believe you were fighting her a couple minutes ago. You wish your heart would settle on a single emotion and stick with it, but this troll scrambles your feelings like a puzzle, and you can’t put it back together.

“ Can you feel me? “ You question. 

Vriska looks down at you, slightly puzzled. “ Of course I can feel you, dork. “ 

You pretend that the warmth surrounding you is hers.

* * *

You jerk away, and the scent of Vriska and the land of snow is quickly replaced with the atmosphere of the lounge. You release a breathy sigh of disappointment when you realize you have awakened. You wipe away the drool that was leaking from the corner of your mouth and untangle your cape around your legs before sitting up. 

“ Okay, “ You grumble, “ Who the hell woke me up? “ 

A snout made of black licorice answers your question quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm kind of new to writing fanfiction so constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated!! This is just the first of many chapters (not sure how many, but will define it as "a shitton.")


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